Telemedicine: Neurogeon Performs Live Streemed Total Disc Replacement

Richard Wohns, MD

Richard Wohns, MD, performed a live cervical disc replacement procedure video streamed on Facebook and YouTube last week as part of the Maldives Spine Conference 2017.

The event took place at ADK Hospital in Male, part of the Republic of Maldives, and attracted nearly 50,000 viewers, according to Sun.mv. Total disc replacement is rare in the region and streaming Dr. Wohns' procedure "was evidence of progress," according to ADK Hospital Managing Director Ahmed Affaal.

Medical students were able to ask Dr. Wohns and his team questions during the procedure. The conference as a whole attracted 100 neurosurgeons and orthopedists from the region. ADK Hospital is working on making total disc replacements available on a more permanent basis in the future.

Dr. Wohns is the founder and president of NeoSpine in Puyallup, Wash. He was an early adopter and innovator in the minimally invasive spine and outpatient spine surgery industry, launching a company in 2001 that developed a network of outpatient spine surgery centers. He was among the first surgeons to perform the XLIF technique for minimally invasive fusions.

Source: Beckers Spine Review