He has devised minimally invasive techniques that have transformed spinal surgery and made him a billionaire.
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Brooke Lawrance, from Ipswich, who has cerebral palsy, underwent five hours of life-changing spinal surgery in America last November.
The patient, who fell 10ft (3m), is unable to work and is due to have further spinal surgery next week.
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It makes catheters that permit high-tech spinal surgery, done through tiny holes, to relieve pressure on a nerve from a degenerated disc.
The lawsuits reflect growing complaints about a new area of medicine: high-volume, doctor-owned spinal surgery centers that market directly to patients on Google Inc.
According to his version, spinal surgery was frequently unsuccessful, so doctors' practices would fill up with "bent nails"--crippled patients in wheelchairs without much hope.
Ahuja, a spinal surgery consultant, commended the Scottish Rugby Union and Welsh Rugby Union medical teams for the high standard of care Evans received on the pitch.
Much of Medtronic's growth in recent years has come from the controversial field of spinal surgery, in which myriad screws, bolts, chemicals and gadgets are used to relieve chronic back problems.
He said Mr Budworth was due to have spinal surgery in a UK hospital later this week and also had two broken toes, while his wife also suffered a double fracture to her lower left leg.
So will spinal surgery equipment.
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Spinal fusion surgery has a 17% complication rate, including infections and, in rare cases, nerve damage.
Other studies have shown that expensive spinal fusion surgery, when done for degenerated discs, may be no better than a good rehab program.
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Spinal fusion surgery is a last-ditch treatment for severe back pain.
Few studies have compared exercise to drug treatment, but two randomized trials have shown that vigorous exercise combined with cognitive treatment is just as good as spinal fusion surgery, with fewer complications.
The first in utero spinal cord repair surgery was done at Vanderbilt University in 1997.
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Some of the inventions included devices that aid in spinal fusions and a plate used in neck surgery.
Complex fusions, the procedure studied in the JAMA paper, are reimbursed by Medicare at a sharply higher rate than decompressions, to account for the elaborate spinal devices used and the longer length of surgery.
Dr Mainds carrying out inadequate surgery on three other patients, where spinal implants were incorrectly placed.
One vastly overused procedure is fusion surgery for back pain blamed on degenerated spinal discs.
Medtronic 's ( MDT - news - people ) spine surgery business is dominated by a procedure called spinal fusion, in which two of the segments of the backbone, called vertebrae, are fused together using metal rods and cages, bone taken from elsewhere in the body, and protein drugs that stimulate bone growth.
His grandmother's struggle with a painful spinal condition inspired him to become a doctor and to focus on back surgery.
Tulipan said he believes the surgery should be done as early as possible because the longer the spinal cord is exposed to amniotic fluid, the more it can be damaged.
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Instead, her October 2008 surgery at the Tampa, Florida- based center left Balch incontinent, with a dangerous spinal fluid leak, she said.
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