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Spine surgery has, without a doubt, made enormous progress in recent decades. Of course, the challenge remains the continuous improvement of techniques and means with the ultimate goal of approaching the perfect result.

In the field of surgical efficiency, the powerful tools and implants that we have had for almost 3 decades allow us to make major corrections of spinal deformities (kyphosis – scoliosis) as well as complete anatomical restoration of problems caused by wear and tear.

In the field of spinal surgery safety, an important milestone was the intraoperative control of the proper functioning of the nerves and spinal cord (neuromonitoring). Particularly in deformity correction operations, it contributed significantly to avoiding neurological complications during these and to achieving greater and better corrections with the same safety.

The next step was the use of X-rays in the operating room (radioscopy) to check the correct position of the materials being placed. Now there is the possibility of doing this with even greater precision using an intraoperative CT scanner (O-Arm) during the operation.

In the last decade, all of the above has been combined with navigation tools and software that give us real-time information for the safe placement of our materials. The cutting edge of this technology is digitally and mechanically assisted navigation (robotics), which ensures the placement of materials with the greatest possible precision, and therefore safety.

Even in the field of improving the experience of a spine surgery, remarkable progress has been made. With the new minimally invasive techniques, we are now given the opportunity to achieve the result we desire through very small holes in the skin.

Thus, the surgical trauma is minimized along with the postoperative pain and, above all, the recovery time – which is always the goal, especially in young and active patients. At the same time, due to the shortening of the hospitalization time (usually daily), the total cost is also reduced.

The most important development, however, concerns the human factor and specifically the training of specialized spine surgeons. In the past, there was no separate training for such a demanding specialty, as a result of which it was covered by either Orthopaedics or Neurosurgeons in the areas that they could cover with their general training.

Now, in medically advanced countries, it is a separate specialization that requires many years of targeted training and provides spine surgeons with the knowledge and skills required to safely treat the full range of spinal pathology.