The spinal surgical department includes surgeons from both orthopaedic and neurosurgical backgrounds allowing a wide scope of work:
Paediatric Spinal Surgery
All aspects of extradural paediatric spinal surgery are undertaken with >85 major deformity surgeries performed annually by the department. The breadth and knowledge of our allied specialities at the Great North Children’s Hospital allow us to manage patients with spinal deformities of all aetiologies. A good volume of early onset scoliosis is managed as well as idiopathic, complex syndromic and neuromuscular deformities. Fellows will be involved in traditional methods such as casting of early onset curves, freehand instrumentation, anterior spinal approaches and use of halo-gravity traction. Recently established techniques including navigated spinal instrumentation are integrated into our practise. A trial of anterior vertebral body tethering is currently ongoing and we recruit to the BASIS bracing study.
Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery
The department has extensive experience in this area and is one of few undertaking higher volumes of this work nationally. Fellows will be involved in the thorough preassessment and planning of such cases as well as complex surgical techniques including anterior and lateral approaches as well as spinal osteotomies.
Cervical and Lumbar Degenerative Spinal Surgery
Fellows will be exposed to complex lumbar and cervical degenerative treatments as well as further develop their skills in more basic techniques including nerve root blocks, lumbar discectomy and decompression. We are current recruiting to the POLYFIX-DCM and POISE studies.
Spinal Sarcoma
We are one of 4 UK centres that manage and treat primary spinal tumours. Fellows will be exposed to the appropriate methods of assessment, investigation and management of these pathologies
Acute spinal Pathologies
The Royal Victoria Infirmary is a Major Trauma Centre and we serve the region for the management of emergency spinal pathologies including spinal fractures (occiput-pelvis), metastatic disease and spinal infection. Fellows are part of the on call rota to manage patients in this service alongside the consultants.