
Spine Centers & Fellowships Overview 2019







AO Spine Asia Pacific
Spine Centers & Fellowships Committee 2019

01 Aug 2019 – 30 Jun 2022

01 Nov 2017 – 31 Oct 2020

01 Sep 2019 – 31 Aug 2022

01 Nov 2017 – 31 Oct 2020

01 Jun 2019 – 31 May 2022

01 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2021

1 Nov 2018 – 31 Oct 2021
AO SPINE Asia Pacific
Spine Centers & Fellowships Committee 2019
As the leading global academic community for innovative education, AO Spine invests heavily in the various forms of long- and short-term fellowship programs and observation opportunities.
9 Mar 2019 | Macau

ABHAY NENE
Chairperson
Spine Centers & Fellowships Committee
Looking forwards to 2020 and beyond
– Chairperson of Spine Centers & Fellowships
As we move into the second decade of this century, AO Spine Asia Pacific continues its march to the top, with firm alliances forged amongst all the six councils of Asia Pacific.
Fellowship programs hope to see a new integration across councils and make our collaboration stronger from the grassroot level.
Exchange fellowships, connecting fellows over webinars, and a move towards a stronger research based curriculum, more publications and possibly exit exams for our fellows, seems to be the flavour for the coming three years.
We also committed to serving our Spine Centers better, empowering them with more and staying in constant feedback mode.
After all, AO Spine is all about continuing medical education and fellowship!
Cheers to an academically motivating 2020!
AO Spine Asia Pacific
Spine Centers
Spine Center | Burwood Spine Unit, Burwood Hospital, Christchurch Christchurch 8083, New Zealand |
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Director | Jeremy Evison |
Website | NA |
Most frequent pathologies | Degeneration, Trauma, Tumor |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 332 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 280 |
Spine Center | John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Department of Neurosurgery Hunter New England Local Health District Lookout Road, 2305 New Lambton, Australia |
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Director | Mitchell Hansen |
Website | https://metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/princess-alexandra-hospital |
Most frequent pathologies | Degeneration, Trauma, Tumor |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 1,000 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 400 |
Spine Center | Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide North Terrace, SA 5000 Adelaide, Australia |
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Director | Brian Freeman |
Website | https://www.rah.sa.gov.au/ |
Spine Center | Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 8 Gong Ti Nan Road, 100020 Beijing, China |
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Director | Yong Hai |
Website | www.bjcyh.com.cn |
Most frequent pathologies | Spinal Deformity (Children & Adult), Degenerative Disorders of Cervical, Thoracic and Lumbar Spine |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 1,300 – 1,500 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 1,000 – 1,200 |
Spine Center | Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing No. 49 North Garden Rd. , 100083 Beijing, China |
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Director | Weishi Li |
Website | http://puh3.net.cn/englishweb/index.shtml |
Most frequent pathologies | Craniovertebral Junction Surgery, Degenerative Cervical Spine, Cervical Deformity, Degenerative Lumbar Spine, Spine Tumor, Thoracolumbar Deformity |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 10,000 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 9,000 |
Spine Center | Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai No.415 Fengyang Road, 200003 Shanghai, China |
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Director | Wen Yuan |
Website | http://www.shczyy.com/front/shouye.aspx |
Most frequent pathologies | CSM, OPLL, Spinal Trauma, Spinal Stenosis |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 7,500 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 6,200 |
Spine Center | Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 107 Yan-Jiang West Road, 510120 Guangzhou, China |
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Director | Dong-Sheng Huang |
Website | www.syshospital.com |
Most frequent pathologies | Spine Deformity, Degenerative Cervical and Lumbar Spinal Disorders, Spine Trauma, Spine Tumor |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 1,500 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 1,000 |
Spine Center | West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu No. 37 Guo Xue Road, 610041 Chengdu, Sichuan, China |
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Director | Hao Liu |
Website | www.cd120.com |
Most frequent pathologies | Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy, Occipitocervical Deformity, Spinal Trauma, Adolesent Idiopathic Scoliosis, Adult Spinal Deformity (Scoliosis or Kyphosis), Degenerative Lumbar Disease, Spinal Tuberculosis |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 980 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 800 |
Spine Center | Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xián 127 West Changle Road, 710032 Xi’an, ShaanXi, China |
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Director | Zhuojing Luo |
Website | http://www.fmmu.edu.cn |
Most frequent pathologies | Degeneration (Cervical and Lumbar), Deformity (Scoliosis), Injury (Spine and Spinal Cord), Infection (TB) |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 3,500 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 2,800 |
Spine Center | Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing Department of Orthopedics 183 Xinqiao Street, Shapingba District 400037 Chongqing, China |
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Director | Yue Zhou |
Website | www.xqhospital.com.cn |
Most frequent pathologies | Degeneration, infection, trauma, tumor, deformity |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 7,989 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 3,221 |
Spine Center | National University Hospital, Singapore 1E Kent Ridge Road, 119228 Singapore |
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Director | Gabriel Liu |
Website | www.nuh.com.sg |
Most frequent pathologies | Paeds Adult Scoliosis, Deformity, Cervical and Lumbar Pathology and Spinal Metatastic |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 600 – 700 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 550 |
Spine Center | Phramongkuthklao Army Hospital, Bangkok 315 Rajavithi Road, Rajthevee, Bangkok, Thailand |
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Director | Warat Tassanawipas |
Website | http://www.pmk.ac.th |
Most frequent pathologies | AIS Scoliosis Correction, Degenerative Scoliosis, CSM, TL Fracture, MISS |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 400 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 350 |
Spine Center | Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Professorial Block, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong |
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Director | Kenneth Cheung |
Website | http://ortho.hku.hk/services/spine-surgery |
Most frequent pathologies | Scoliosis (Paediatric and Adult), Degenerative (Cervical and Lumbar), Tumour (Primary and Metastatic) |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 150 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 100 |
Spine Center | Sarawak General Hospital, Kuching 93586 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia |
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Director | Chung Chek Wong |
Website | http://hus.moh.gov.my |
Most frequent pathologies | Degenerative Spine, Correction of Spine Deformity, Spine Trauma, Infections and Tumour |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 500 – 600 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 400 |
Spine Center | Singapore General Hospital, SingHealth, Singapore Outram Road, 169608 Singapore |
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Director | John Chen |
Website | www.sgh.com.sg |
Most frequent pathologies | Trauma, Deformity, Degeneration |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 500 – 600 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 300 – 400 |
Spine Center | Okayama Rosai Hospital, Okayama 1-10-25 Chikkomidorimach, Okayama 702-0131, Japan |
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Director | Masato Tanaka |
Website | http://www.okayamah.johas.go.jp |
Most frequent pathologies | Degeneration, Deformity, Trauma |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 300 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 180 |
Spine Center | Showa University Hospital, Tokyo 1-5-8 Hatanodai Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8666, Japan |
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Director | Tomoaki Toyone |
Website | www.showa-u.ac.jp/en/international |
Most frequent pathologies | Degeneration, Deformity, Trauma, Tumor |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 300 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 180 |
Spine Center | Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, Seoul 211 Eonjuro, Gangnam-gu, 135-720 Seoul, South Korea |
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Director | Yong-Eun Cho |
Website | www.yuhs.or.kr/en/gan_index.asp |
Most frequent pathologies | Degenerative Spine Surgery, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Deformity, Spine Tumor, Trauma, OPLL |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 2,000 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 1,000 |
Spine Center | Kyung-Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul 892, Dongnam-ro, Gandong-gu, Seoul, 05278, Korea South |
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Director | Yong-Chan Kim |
Website | http://www.khnmc.or.kr |
Most frequent pathologies | Deformity, Degeneration, Trauma |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 1,500 – 2,000 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 1,300 – 1,600 |
Spine Center | Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 222 Banpodae-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea |
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Director | Kyeong Sik Ryu |
Website | www.cmcseoul.or.kr/global/eng/front |
Most frequent pathologies | Deformity, Tumors, Degeneration Diseases, Infection, Trauma for Lumbar and Cervical Spine |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 1,200 – 1,400 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 70% of cases |
Spine Center | Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi Ponnakara PO, 686016 Kochi, India |
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Director | Sajesh Menon |
Website | http://www.aimshospital.org |
Most frequent pathologies | Lumbar and Cervical Disc Degeneration, Deformities, Tumors |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 900 – 1,000 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 750 – 800 |
Spine Center | Bombay Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Mumbai New Marine Lines, 400020 Mumbai, India |
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Director | Arvind Kulkarni |
Website | www.bombayhospital.com |
Most frequent pathologies | Deformity, Degeneration, Infection |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 400 – 500 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 200 – 250 |
Spine Center | Ganga Medical Centre & Hospitals Pvt. Limited, Coimbatore 313 Mettupalayam Road, 641043 Coimbatore, India |
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Director | Shanmuganathan Rajasekaran |
Website | www.gangahospital.com |
Most frequent pathologies | Traumatic Spinal Injuries, Degenerative Lumbar and Cervical Spine Surgeries, Spinal Infections Andpediatric Deformities |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 2,800 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 1,100 |
Spine Center | Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi Sector-C, Vasant Kunj, 110070 New Delhi, India |
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Director | Harvinder Chhabra |
Website | http://www.isiconline.org/ |
Most frequent pathologies | TLIF – 1 Level, Nerve Root Block – 1 Level, Posterior Pedicle Screw Fixation – 2 Levels, Laminoforaminotomy – 1 Level |
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Number of cases (in 2018) | |
– Number of cases per year | 1,817 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 845 |
Spine Center | Park Clinic, Kolkata 4, Gorky Terrace, 700017 Kolkata, India |
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Director | Sandip Chatterjee |
Website | http://www.parkclinickolkata.com |
Most frequent pathologies | Lumbar Degenerative Pathologies, Spinal Deformities, Cervical Degenerative Pathologies, Spinal Tumours |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 1,500 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 1,000 |
Spine Center | Sakra World Hospital, Bangalore Sy No. 52/2 and 52/3, Deverabeesanahalli, Varthur Hobli, Opposite Intel, Outer Ring Road, 560103 Bangalore, India |
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Director | Satish Rudrappa |
Website | http://www.sakraworldhospital.com |
Most frequent pathologies | Degeneration, Trauma, Tumor |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 528 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 278 |
Spine Center | Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi Rajinder Nagar, 110060 New Delhi, India |
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Director | Shankar Acharya |
Website | http://www.sgrh.com |
Most frequent pathologies | Degeneration, Trauma, Infective Spine, Deformity |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 1,100 – 1,250 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 800 – 950 |
Spine Center | Stavya Spine Hospital & Research Institute, Ahmedabad Near Nagari Hospital, Mithakhali 380006, Ahmedabad, India |
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Director | Bharatkumar Dave |
Website | http://www.spinehospital.in/ |
Most frequent pathologies | Degeneration, Infection, Metabolic, Inflammation, Genetic |
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Number of cases | |
– Number of cases per year | 1,700 |
– Number of instrumented cases per year | 1,050 |
AO Spine Asia Pacific
Fellowships Statistics and Status
AO Spine Asia Pacific
No. of Awarded Fellows (2008-2019)

Total Applications and Awarded
Fellowships Programs in 2019








2019 Asia Pacific Fellowships Programs
No. of Fellows

2019 Asia Pacific Fellowships
Host Countries of Fellowships

2019 Asia Pacific Fellowships
Type of Fellowships

AOSAUNZ
Name | Country of Origin | Duration | Name of AO Spine Spine Center | Spine Center Director |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alvin Pun | Australia | 16 weeks | Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China | Weishi Li |
AOSIN
Name | Country of Origin | Duration | Name of AO Spine Spine Center | Spine Center Director |
---|---|---|---|---|
Yogendra Agrahari | Nepal | 13 weeks | Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi, India | Harvinder Chhabra |
Nishanth Ampar | India | 4 weeks | Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia | Brian Freeman |
Desai Ankitkumar | India | 8 weeks | Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi, India | Harvinder Chhabra |
Jagdeep Atwal | India | 6 weeks | Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India | Shankar Acharya |
Nilesh Barwar | India | 8 weeks | Stavya Spine Hospital & Research Institute, Ahmedabad, India | Bharat Dave |
Gayadhar Behera | India | 6 weeks | Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi, India | Harvinder Chhabra |
Mandar Borde | India | 4 weeks | Bombay Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, India | Arvind Kulkarni |
Amrit Gantaguru | India | 40 weeks | Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi, India | Harvinder Chhabra |
Mantu Jain | India | 4 weeks | Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India | Shankar Acharya |
Subbiah Jayakumar | India | 4 weeks | Bombay Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, India | Arvind Kulkarni |
V Jvaghar Jill | India | 4 weeks | Sakra World Hospital, Bangalore, India | Satish Rudrappa |
Nikhil Kadanthode Vasu | India | 4 weeks | Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi, India | Harvinder Chhabra |
Mahesh Kulkarni | India | 8 weeks | Stavya Spine Hospital & Research Institute, Ahmedabad, India | Bharat Dave |
Raghuraj Kundangar | India | 4 weeks | Sakra World Hospital, Bangalore, India | Satish Rudrappa |
Nirmal Patil | India | 4 weeks | Bombay Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, India | Arvind Kulkarni |
Md. Taimur Rahman | Bangladesh | 4 weeks | Ganga Hospital, Coimbatore, India | Shanmuganathan Rajasekaran |
Ashok Ramakrishnan | India | 4 weeks | Sarawak General Hospital, Kuching, Malaysia | Chung Chek Wong |
Shabbir Sabuwala | India | 4 weeks | Bombay Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, India | Arvind Kulkarni |
Anil Solanki | India | 4 weeks | Ganga Hospital, Coimbatore, India | Shanmuganathan Rajasekaran |
Arun Kumar Viswanadha | India | 4 weeks | Bombay Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, India | Arvind Kulkarni |
Prerak Yadav | India | 4 weeks | Stavya Spine Hospital & Research Institute, Ahmedabad, India | Bharat Dave |
Kapil Khandelwal | India | 8 weeks | Sakra World Hospital, Bangalore, India | Satish Rudrappa |
Debya Prakash Tiwari | India | 6 weeks | Bombay Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, India | Arvind Kulkarni |
AOSCN
Name | Country of Origin | Duration | Name of AO Spine Spine Center | Spine Center Director |
---|---|---|---|---|
Yun Cao | China | 8 weeks | West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China | Hao Liu |
Fang Qing Chen | China | 4 weeks | Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia | Brian Freeman |
Wen Jun Chen | China | 2 weeks | University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA | Jeffrey Wang |
Xiao Feng Chen | China | 8 weeks | Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China | Weishi Li |
Tao Hu | China | 3 weeks | Spine Education and Research Institute, Denver, USA | Michael Janssen |
Dong Yue Li | China | 8 weeks | West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China | Hao Liu |
Xiao Liu | China | 4 weeks | University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland | Schaeren Stefan |
Yang Meng | China | 4 weeks | Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, USA | Andrew Sama |
Han Qiang Ouyang | China | 4 weeks | London Bridge Hospital, London, United Kingdom | Khai Sing Lam |
Zhuo Ran Sun | China | 4 weeks | Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Switzerland | Lorin Michael Benneker |
Jian Shan Wan | China | 8 weeks | Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China | Wen Yuan |
Guo Yu Wang | China | 8 weeks | Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China | Wen Yuan |
Xiao Bin Wang | China | 4 weeks | Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy | Claudio Lamartina |
Shuang Xu | China | 8 weeks | Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China | Weishi Li |
Peng Yin | China | 8 weeks | Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China | Weishi Li |
AOSJP
Name | Country of Origin | Duration | Name of AO Spine Spine Center | Spine Center Director |
---|---|---|---|---|
Koji Ishikawa | Japan | 8 weeks | Spine Education and Research Foundation, Denver, USA | Michael Janssen |
Chizuo Iwai | Japan | 7 weeks | Spinal Surgical Unit, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, United Kingdom | Alexander Gibson |
Kazuaki Morizane | Japan | 4 weeks | Columbia University, New York, USA | Dan Riew |
Mitsuotoshi Ota | Japan | 8 weeks | Pitie Salpetriere Hospital, Orthopaedic Department, Paris, France | Hugues Pascal-Moussellard |
Hiroshi Sasaki | Japan | 4 weeks | National University Hospital, Singapore | Gabriel Liu |
Koji Uotani | Japan | 4 weeks | London Bridge Hospital, London, United Kingdom | Khai Sing Lam |
AOSEA
Name | Country of Origin | Duration | Name of AO Spine Spine Center | Spine Center Director |
---|---|---|---|---|
Salim Azizul Akram | Malaysia | 4 weeks | Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong | Kenneth Cheung |
Igin Ginting | Indonesia | 8 weeks | Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China | Zhong Jun Liu |
Mohd Hezery Harun | Malaysia | 5 weeks | Phramongkutklao Army Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand | Warat Tassanawipas |
Thuraikumar Kanniah | Malaysia | 4 weeks | Showa University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan | Tomoaki Toyone |
Boon Seng Liew | Malaysia | 8 weeks | Sarawak General Hospital, Kuching, Malaysia | Chung Chek Wong |
Kang Kai Lim | Malaysia | 4 weeks | Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea South | Yong Eun Cho |
Kittipong Sessumpun | Thailand | 9 weeks | Okayama Rosai Hospital, Okayama, Japan | Masato Tanaka |
Sze Kiat Sim | Malaysia | 4 weeks | Sarawak General Hospital, Kuching, Malaysia | Chung Chek Wong |
Kam Lung Tung | Hong Kong | 5 weeks | Schön Klinik München Harlaching, Munich, Germany | Christoph Mehren |
Naveen Vijayasingham | Malaysia | 4 weeks | Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea South | Yong Eun Cho |
AOSKR
Name | Country of Origin | Duration | Name of AO Spine Spine Center | Spine Center Director |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jeong Heo | South Korea | 7 weeks | BG Unfallklinik Frankfurt am Main gGmbH, Frankfurt, Germany | Frank Kandziora |
Jae Taek Hong | South Korea | 4 weeks | National Center for Spinal Disorders, Budapest, Hungary | Peter Pal Varga |
Ikchan Jeon | South Korea | 3 weeks | National University Hospital, Singapore | Gabriel Liu |
Taewook Kang | South Korea | 4 weeks | Showa University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan | Tomoaki Toyone |
Seong Son | South Korea | 3 weeks | National University Hospital, Singapore | Gabriel Liu |
National Fellowship
In China
By Dong-Yue Li
Beijing Chao-yang Hospital, ChinaAO Spine Spine Center
West China Hospital, Sichuan University, ChinaSpine Center Director
Yueming SongDuration of Fellowship
8 weeks
AO Spine Fellowship Report
By Dong Yue Li
On March 4, due to AOSpine fellowship stipend, I visited the Department of Spinal Surgery of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China, for eight weeks. My supervisor is a well-known spine surgeon and an AOSpine lecturer, Professor Yueming-Song. Through eight weeks of study, I have made great progress in basic knowledge, theory and technology.
Firstly, there are some spinal tuberculosis patients here, and I seldom treated patients with spinal tuberculosis in our institute. For example. 13-year-old girl suffered from lumbosacral kyphosis deformity, L4-5 vertebral body serious destruction with anterior tuberculosis abscess, and lower extremity neurological impairment. Professor Song performed tuberculosis lesion clearance, spinal reconstruction and drainage abscess. In addition, it is important that anti-tuberculosis drugs are strictly and regularly used. Many patients with spinal tuberculosis accompanied by nerve injury were also diagnosed and treated in the outpatient of professor Song. Through clinical study, I know that the operation, which is performed by professor Song, is satisfactory for the treatment of spinal tuberculosis, but the premise must be strict, regular and enough time for anti-tuberculosis treatment.
Secondly, as the largest spinal surgery center in south-western China, West China Hospital receives an average of 3-5 patients with spinal fractures every day. According to the degree, location and type of spinal injury, professor Song chose the posterior or lateral-anterior approach for vertebral excision and spinal reconstruction. In the eight weeks, my clinic level has been greatly improved, especially for the anterolateral spinal approach.
Thirdly, according to the degree of scoliosis, rigidness and kyphosis, professor Song chooses different surgical methods, whether congenital or idiopathic. For the patients with mild scoliosis, professor Song chose one-stage posterior three-dimensional spinal correction with or without posterior column osteotomy (PCO). For severe and rigid scoliosis, professor Song usually performed twice surgery. In the first surgery, the main scoliosis was loosened by the anterolateral approach, and the support rods were placed by the posterior approach. In the second surgery, posterior three-dimensional spinal correction with or without PCO was performed. For the most severe and rigid scoliosis, professor Song firstly performed external fixation of the Halo-pelvic traction for more than 6 months, and then the patient was performed spinal correction. The aim was to reduce the neurological complications caused by surgery. For razor back deformity, Professor Song removed 3-4 the head of ribs under the paravertebral muscles to improve the appearance of kyphosis.
In short, through eight weeks of study by AOSpine fellowship in West China Hospital, I have gained a lot and improved my clinical level greatly.
Regional Fellowship
In Korea
By Kang Kai Lim
Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, MalaysiaAO Spine Spine Center
Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
Spine Center Director
Yung Eun ChoDuration of Fellowship
4 weeks
AO Spine Fellowship Report
By Kang Kai Lim
I was very fortunate to be awarded the 2019 AO Spine Fellowship at Gangnam Severance Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. The 4-week short term fellowship was from April 1st to 26th, 2019. Gangnam Severance Hospital is a teaching hospital affiliated with Yonsei University and as its namesake, is located in the district of Gangnam. The hospital gets its name from an American philanthropist by the name of Louis H. Severance whom funded the hospital’s establishment.
Being part of Seoul, Gangnam is a rather affluent district with high cost of living and expensive real estate market. Gangnam is bustling during the weekdays as it is a major business district in Seoul, but come weekend it is relatively quiet as the city dwellers return to their neighbouring more affordable district homes.
Professor Yong-Eun Cho is the Spine Director and heads the Spine Division of the Department of Neurosurgery. He is assisted by Professor Dong-Kyu Chin, Professor Keun-Su Kim, Professor Jeong-Yoon Park, Professor Sung-Uk Kuh, and Professor Kyung-Hyun Kim.
The department starts the day at 0700hrs with journal presentations, scientific discussions and video conferences with other sister hospitals. Operating rooms start at 0800hrs until late evening with average of 6 and up to 10 elective cases daily. I was able to join the daily morning meet and despite the discussion being conducted in Korean language, the English-worded slides definitely help with understanding.
In the operating rooms, I was able to scrub in for majority of the cases. When limitation in operating space is encountered, such as instances where the size of operating room is small coupled with the usage of image intensifier and microscope, I was made an observer. I learned a great deal from the Professors on direct decompression of neural elements from the many PLIF operations I managed to assist. Being neurosurgeons, their techniques of haemostasis are very meticulous. I managed to also observe a dural repair technique with suture and clips.
I made it a point to participate in all of Prof Dong-Kyu Chin’s cervical cases as his techniques in upper cervical screw fixations and decompressions are top notch. I enjoyed assisting and observing Prof Jeong-Yoon Park’s MIS TLIF cases as well as the few Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic cases. His “transforaminal lateral lumbar interbody fusion (TLLIF)” technique of cage positioning is something new to me. Prof Keun-Su Kim’s ACDF and ACCF cases have taught me new techniques and refinements which I could use for my own practise to improve patient outcome and reduce morbidity.
I was invited by the department to attend the 37th Annual Spring Meeting of the Korean Neurosurgical Society in the city of Daegu from April 18th to 20th. The journey from Gangnam to Daegu in the high speed bullet train was an experience both new and familiar to me, having being in one in China last year. A plenary during the conference on Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic Lumbar Interbody Fusion especially appealed to me.
I took an opportunity given to me by introducing Malaysia and my hospital (Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, Klang) during the last week of my fellowship by means of a 30-minute Powerpoint presentation. All in all, this fellowship accorded to me by AO Spine was a great opportunity for knowledge exchange as well as an eye-opener not only in Spine Surgery, but also in the diversity and differences in culture and heritage of the Korean people.
International Fellowship
In Italy
By Xiao Bin Wang
The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, ChinaAO Spine Spine Center
Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, ItalySpine Center Director
Claudio LamartinaDuration of Fellowship
4 weeks
AO Spine Fellowship Report
By Xiao Bin Wang
It is a great honor to have the opportunity of AOSAP fellowship in Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy (6 May 2019 – 31 May 2019). People there are very nice, and everything is well organized. Dr. Andrea helped me to set up everything, and another visiting doctor Alvin Pan gave me great care.
I have learned a number of new techniques during these 4 weeks study. I got the chance to observe XLIF, which I had never seen before, as well as to observe PSO technique which I was not familiar with. I also observed the standard ALIF, TLIF and microscopic lumbar discectomy procedures. I actually did these surgeries before in my practice but still found several differences between them and me. There were definitely some new things worth to learn from them.
For the last week, there came a big surprise. I had the chance to scribe in to observe an En-bloc tumor surgery. This was exactly what I long for. As I watched every single step, many questions in my mind had been answered. I was impressed when Dr. Boriani took out the whole L3 vertebrae. This surgery gave me a lot of inspiration.
I thank all the medical staffs for their hospitality. Dr. Berjano talked his own surgical experience about hemostasis, ALIF, TLIF and prophylaxis of PJK. Dr. Lamartina showed his idea about individualized surgical plan for adult spinal deformity. He kindly invited me to join his family annual party. I spent a wonderful night in the party, and that becomes the most precious memory of my time in Milan.
It is definitely worth to join the AOSpine organization and bid for the opportunity of international fellowship. In these different places, we make new friends, we learn new things, we make ourselves better, and give our patients best treatment.
Fellowship Experience Sharing at Education Events
“The Start of My AO Spine Journey”
Past fellows were invited to share their fellowship experience at education events, including what did they learn, what did they do after entering the community of AO Spine and what is the future plan in AO Spine.










