Week 4 - Mia Huang

 This week I continued shadowing Dr. Riew with his surgeries and clinics. I learned several interesting facts:

1. Cervical spine 1 and 2 control 50% of rotational motion. However, C3-7 combined the other 50% of rotational motion. 

2. Laminoplasty at cervical spine level 7 could cause greater chance of neck pain because muscle can be pulled due to the geometry change post-operatively. 

3. Patients with neurological deficits of loss of anti-gravity muscle requires emergency surgery or the loss of muscle may never get back. 

4. Smoking, diabetes, and anti-inflammation drugs can slows down or even stop bone healing

I was able to talk to Mr. Dave Pinter who is a sales representative at medtronic on Wednesday during Dr. Riew's disk replacement surgery. Mr. Pinter provided me with specifications of the disk implant and was very kind to give me one of actual implants. The Prestige LP Cervical Disc implant consists of two parts. It is to be inserted into the verteberal disc space as a pre-assembled unit anteriorly. The implant is made of titanium which ensures safety during MRI scans post-operatively. The upper part contains the ball portion of the ball-trough mechanism, which allows for motion after implantation. Each part has two rails that contact with vertebral body endplates and can integrate with them in the long run. The pressure transducer needs to be able to be inserted in between the two parts, withhold pressure and firction between the two pieces, and need to be sterilizable. 



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