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The Spinal Fusion Laboratory
Addressing a Common Challenge
Fusion surgery can treat several problems with the spine, including those arising from trauma, inborn deformity, degenerative disease, infection and tumors.
But 5% to 35% of these procedures fail, even when using the “gold standard” treatment of grafting bone from the patient’s own iliac crest (the top part of the hipbone).
Fusion failure, otherwise known as pseudoarthrosis, is a major cause of failed back surgery syndrome and results in significant pain and disability, increasing the need for more procedures and driving up health care costs.
Advancing Techniques, Improving Results
The ultimate goal of the Johns Hopkins Spinal Fusion Laboratory is to eliminate pseudoarthrosis by using animal models to study various strategies to improve spinal fusion outcomes, including:
- Delivery of various growth factors and biological agents
- Stem cell therapies
- Tissue engineering approaches
Spinal fusion in our animal models is assessed using a combination of complementary techniques incorporating manual palpitation, X-ray and computed tomography (CT) imaging, histology and biomechanical testing.
Our laboratory is also interested in problems regarding overall spine health. In particular, we investigate therapies to improve vertebral bone quality in patients with conditions such as osteoporosis that may require future spinal fusion procedures.
We are developing an animal model to explore the effects of localized radiation therapy on spinal structure and stability, and testing potential therapies for the prevention of vertebral compression fractures in spinal oncology patients.
View our current research projects.
Our Research Team
Director
Timothy Francis Witham, M.D.
Director, the Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery Spinal Fusion Laboratory
Director, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center's Spine Program
Co-Program Director, Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery Residency Program
Professor of Neurosurgery
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Director, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center's Spine Program
Co-Program Director, Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery Residency Program
Professor of Neurosurgery
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Residents
Yike Jin, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Alexander Perdomo-Pantoja, M.D.
Medical Students
Ethan Cottrill
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