Spinal Neurosurgery Working Group

• Saringer et al.:
  Microsurgical anterior cervical foraminotomy (uncoforaminotomy) for unilateral radiculopathy: clinical results of a new technique 
  (Acta Neurochir (Vienna), July 2002)
  This review article presents the clinical application of a new microsurgical technique—cervical anterior foraminotomy (uncinate foraminotomy)—used for the surgical treatment of unilateral cervical radiculopathy caused by a posterolateral disc herniation or spondylotic foraminal stenosis.
• Peter Grunert et al.:
  Tissue-engineered intervertebral discs: MRI results and histology in the rodent spine 
  (J Neurosurgery Spine, April 2014)
  As part of this publication, which was developed in collaboration with the Weill Cornell Medicine - Department for Neurological Surgery, biological treatment methods for intervertebral disc regeneration were investigated. Intervertebral discs were engineered from sheep cells and subsequently implanted first into rat spines and later into dog spines. The engineered discs demonstrated physiological, biochemical, and biomechanical properties in vivo over a period of eight months. MRI images as well as histological analyses revealed a morphology similar to that of natural tissue.
• Peter Grunert et al.:
  Riboflavin crosslinked high-density collagen gel for the repair of annular defects in intervertebral discs: An in vivo study  
  (Acta Biomaterialia, October 2015)
  As part of the aforementioned study, a specialized collagen gel was synthesized from rat tendons and mixed with the vitamin riboflavin to increase the material’s rigidity. This collagen gel was successfully used to seal intervertebral disc defects in the annulus fibrosus of rats. The developed collagen gel may soon find clinical application for closing disc defects following herniated disc surgeries. Sealing the annular defect using this biomaterial could help prevent recurrent disc herniations in the future.

Dr.med.univ. Fabian Winter, a specialist at the University Hospital for Neurosurgery, he is involved in two research projects in collaboration with the Department of Spine Surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, USA:

• Incidental Durotomy during Lumbar Spine Procedures
• A Prospective Multivariate Analysis for Incidental Durotomy Risk Factors during Lumbar Spine Surgery

Other partners:

• Weill Cornell Medicine - Department for Neurological Surgery

These projects play an important role in promoting international collaboration within the field of spinal neurosurgery and contribute to enhancing the knowledge and outcomes of this medical specialty.