Mercy Medical Center opened a minimally invasive spine center and tapped neurosurgeon Frederik A. Pennings, MD, as its leader, MassLive reports.
Four insights:
1. The Minimally Invasive Spine Center of New England will operate as part of Springfield, Mass.-based Mercy Medical Center's Neurosurgical Institute.
2. Mercy, which is part of Hartford, Conn.-based Trinity Health of New England, said the center is meant to accommodate the increasing popularity of minimally invasive spine surgery.
3. Surgeons at the center will treat the cervical, lumbar and thoracic regions of the spine. They'll offer artificial disc replacement and mini-thoracotomy, as well as small-incision approaches to the lumbar spine.
4. Dr. Pennings' specialties include sacroiliac joint fusion. He was Worcester, Mass.-based UMass Memorial Medical Center's director of minimally invasive spine surgery and an assistant professor of neurosurgery for 10 years.
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Outpatient revision minimally invasive lumbar decompression: 4 notes on ASC vs. HOPD