2023 Winter NSF Newsletter (View PDF)
Spine Week at TUTH, December 4-8, 2023
Dear friends and colleagues,
Spine Week 2023 was filled with teaching, learning, fellowship and friendship. The Nepal Spine Foundation with Drs. Richard Wohns, Farrokh Farrokhi, and Rick Chua hosted two new neurosurgeons, Dr. Robert Masson and Dr. Ernest Braxton from Orlando, Florida, and Vail, Colorado, respectively. In addition, Dr. Victor Davila, vascular surgeon from Scottsdale, Arizona; Drs. Margaret Chapman and Craige Blackmore, radiologists, Andrew De Jesus, neuromonitoring technologist, Dr. Aiyush Bansal, research expert from Seattle, WA,; Dr. Hamid Shah, neurosurgeon; Bo Burge, scrub tech; and Angela Bizzarri from Medtronic joined our team for their first trip to Kathmandu. Kumar Shrestha, surgical technologist, and Judd Hunter (Medtronic) again joined our team.
On Monday, December 4, the team was welcomed by the Department of Neurosurgery at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu. A cadaver training session was led by Dr. Davila to demonstrate anterior retroperitoneal exposure to the lumbar spine, and by Dr. Braxton to demonstrate the trans-psoas (direct lateral) and ante-psoas (oblique lateral) approaches. The team then went right to work with Neurosurgery Resident presentations of patients being considered for surgery during Spine Week. After review of the patients, the team selected and established the tentative surgery schedule for the week. Kumar, Judd, and Angela and the Teaching Hospital OR team prepared previously donated and new donations of spinal implants, hemostatic products, and spinal instruments for use during the week. Inventory of prior donations was also conducted.
On Tuesday, December 4, Dr. Wohns performed a C5-6 cervical disc arthroplasty for a patient with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy using implants donated by Zimvie. Following this case, Drs. Davila, Farrokhi and Chua performed an L5-S1 anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) followed by percutaneous pedicle screw placement using implants donated by Medtronic for a patient with a grade II L5-S1 lytic spondylolisthesis. For this surgery, we were delighted to be joined by one of Teaching Hospital’s vascular surgeons for the abdominal/retroperitoneal exposure.
Wednesday, December 5 was our Academic Day, held at the new Cancer Center Auditorium. Sixteen scientific lectures were given after welcoming speeches from Head of Department of Neurosurgery, Professor Mohan Sharma, Nepal Spine Foundation Founder, Professor Wohns, and remarks from Hospital Director, Professor Dinesh Kafle. The lectures were as follows:
- Prof. Mohan Sharma, Neurosurgery Operating Room Etiquette
- Prof. Sushil Shilpakar, Historical Evolution of Spine Surgery in TUTH
- Prof. Gopal Sedain, Cervical Radiculopathy, Pathogenesis and Management
- Prof. Amit Pradhanang, Cervical Intramedullary Tumors
- Dr. Dipendra Shrestha, Plans for 2024 Nepal Spine Foundation Fellowship
- Dr. Richard Wohns, Cervical Arthroplasty
- Dr. Farrokh Farrokhi, Stand-alone Lateral Fusion: Who needs Backup?
- Dr. Rick Chua, Update on MIS TLIFs
- Dr. Ernest Braxton, Regional Anesthesia for Spine Surgery
- Dr. Robert Masson, The Future Spine Surgery Operating Room
- Dr. Hamid Shah, Surgical Management of Low Back Pain: What’s the Evidence?
- Dr. Victor Davila, Anterior Approach for Retroperitoneal Exposure of L4-S1
- Andrew DeJesus, Wired for Success: A Decade of Neuromonitoring Insight
- Dr. Aiyush Bansal, Building a Research Program in Healthcare
- Dr. Margaret Chapman and Dr. Craige Blackmore, Spine Imaging: Principles and Pathology
- Soma Adhikari and Nikita Tamrakar, TUTH nurses, on Pre and Post-Operative Management
of Spinal Cord Injury Patients: Nursing Perspective - Dr. Dipendra Shrestha, Plans for the Nepal Spine Foundation Spine Fellowship (received at
Spine Week 2022 for the upcoming year)
On Thursday, December 6, it was back to the operating room where Drs. Masson and Braxton performed a C2-3 anterior cervical fusion for a trauma patient who suffered a C2 pars fracture (Hangman’s fracture) and C2-3 subluxation after a 300 -foot fall. In the afternoon, Dr. Masson performed a minimally invasive L4-5 transforaminal fusion (TLIF) on a patient with degenerative L45 stenosis and spondylolisthesis. That evening, the team was hosted to a traditional Nepali dinner at Dwarika’s Hotel by Angela Bizzarri on behalf of Medtronic.
For our final surgery day, Drs. Davila and Chua performed a stand-alone L5-S1 ALIF on a patient with instability below a prior auto-fusion at L4-5. The surgery scheduled was capped off by a minimally invasive L4-5 discectomy performed by Dr. Farrokhi under regional anesthesia performed by Dr. Braxton.
During the course of the week, dinners for a more intimate teaching experience were held with Nepal Spine Foundation faculty hosting the Teaching Hospital Neurosurgery residents, Andrew hosting the neuromonitoring staff, and Margaret and Craige hosting the Radiology faculty and residents.
Our team celebrated another successful Spine Week with the faculty, residents, and staff of Teaching Hospital during dinner at a Turkish restaurant where certificates, gifts, and well wishes were exchanged.
In addition to the work at Teaching Hospital, the group was able to tour many historic parts of the Kathmandu Valley including Bhaktapur, Bhoudanath Stupa, Swayambhunath (Monkey) Temple, Pashupatinath Temple, Thamel, Durbar Square, and Kopan Monastery, many of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The highlight of the week was the walking tour of Patan City led by Professor Shilpakar, including stops at his boyhood home and afternoon tea at his current residence.
We are looking forward to the educational trips and the fundraising trek to Everest Base Camp scheduled for April 2024 and are actively planning Spine Week 2024, November 4th through 8th.
2024 Nepal Spine Foundation Silent Auction
If you would like to donate to the 2024 auction, held at the Annual Mazama Spine Summit, June 28-30, please reach out to Michi Wohns, michiwohns@gmail.com. To attend the Summit, please visit the meeting website: www.mazamaspinesummit.org.
Upcoming Volunteer Trips & Events
- Spring Volunteer Trip #1, April 6-13 TUTH
- Spring Volunteer Trip #2, April 13-19 TUTH
- 2024 Fundraising Everest Basecamp Trek, April 20-May 5
- We are looking forward to Dr. Dipendra’s Fellowship visit in 2024
- NSF Silent Auction, June 28-30 at the Mazama Spine Summit, Winthrop, WA
- 2024 Spine Week TUTH, November 4-8
Thank you from the Nepal Spine Foundation:
Thank you to all of those who have supported the Nepal Spine Foundation and our efforts in Nepal. We truly appreciate each and every one of you. Nepal is a very special place. The people are incredibly kind, the history is breathtaking, and the culture is one of peace and inclusion. If you would like to join us on the volunteer trip or future fundraising trek, please reach out to our Executive Director, Michi Wohns: michiwohns@gmail.com.
