Columbia Neurosurgery at CNS 2024: Highlights from Our Spine Team
Leading the Field in Research for the Next Generation of Care Teams
Last week, Columbia Neurosurgery attended the annual Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) meeting in Houston. For over 70 years, CNS has maintained its mission to enhance health and improve lives through innovative neurosurgical education, advancement of clinical practice, and scientific exchange. This organization represents neurosurgeons, medical students, neurosurgical residents, and allied health professionals.
Dr. Dean Chou was one of this year’s leaders of the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves for the Scientific Program Committee. Dr. Andrew Chan served as faculty at the lateral spinal approaches symposium demonstrating how to leverage MIS lateral surgery for spondylolisthesis and scoliosis.
Dr. Evan Joiner presented “Quantitative Analysis of Relationship between Paraspinal Muscle Parameters and Degree of Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis.” Dr. Joiner remarked, “We had a great showing at CNS this year. Was great to see such a strong presence from Columbia attendings, residents, and medical students.”
Chief Resident, Dr. Zachary Englander discussed, “How Many Quality-Adjusted Life Years Do Patients Operated for CSM Gain?” Said Dr. Englander, “We are very fortunate to have such strong research mentorship at Columbia.”
Our medical students also had a strong showing. Eunice Yang took center stage with two presentations, “How do Classification versus Regression Machine Learning Algorithms Predict 5-Year Minimum Clinically Important Differences in QOD Lumbar Spondylolisthesis Patients” and then followed with “Does Back Pain Catastrophizing Influence 5-year Surgical Outcomes for Patients with Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis? A Quality Outcomes Database Study.” Harrison Howell shared his findings in “What Predicts Attainment of
Substantial Clinical Benefit in Neck Pain-Related Disability 24 Months after Surgery for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy?” Said Mr. Howell, “It was a great honor to present our work, which aims to improve outcomes for patients undergoing cervical spine surgery and help represent Columbia Neurosurgery at CNS 2024. I enjoyed meeting neurosurgeons from all parts of our country and the world. Learning about the groundbreaking research being performed in this specialty will inspire my future work.”
Joshua Fuller presented “What Predicts Long-Term Relief from Myelopathic Symptoms in Patients Operated for Moderate to Severe Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy?” Finally, medical student Chiemela Izima shared, “Is There a Gender Disparity for Outcomes Following Minimally Invasive Surgery for Adult Spinal Deformity?” In addition to the medical students, Post-Bacc Student, Shaw Qin shared the thought-provoking topic, “Do Spine Surgeons With More Experience Fare Better Than Their Younger Counterparts In Malpractice Litigations?”
Columbia Neurosurgery’s awarding-winning research team at Och Spine at NewYork Presbyterian works with both the Quality Outcomes Database (QOD) for Spine Surgery and the International Spine Study Group (ISSG) to continue to shape the landscape of spine surgery through these groundbreaking discoveries including leveraging AI and machine learning to further advance efficacious and fully customized patient care. From improving preoperative counseling and postoperative care to gaining further insights that guide decision-making, Columbia Neurosurgery is honored for the privilege to share its collective lessons learned and showcase these timely topics at CNS.
The team looks forward to the 75th Annual CNS meeting next year in Los Angeles.
