Hopkins Neurosurgery Spine

The official twitter account of the Division of Spine Neurosurgery , Johns Hopkins Hospital @HopkinsNSurg @HopkinsMedicine. We’ve got your back!

[Tej D. Azad 🇺🇸 @tdazad]

The only thing that exceeds the pediatric #scoliosis experience @shrinersphilly is the caliber of the people.

Grateful to the patients/families, faculty, OR staff, APPs, nurses, and Shriners Philly team who welcomed me during fellowship. @SRS_org @HopkinsNsurg @HopkinsSpine

[Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery @HopkinsNsurg]

Congratulations to the @HopkinsBayview @HopkinsSpine on earning @TJCommission recertification in spine surgery + the Gold Seal of Approval for the 2nd time! This national recognition reflects our commitment to quality, safety & exceptional patient care #SpineSurgery

[Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery @HopkinsNsurg]

Sarah’s severe hip/knee pain was dismissed for years. An MRI finally revealed a schwannoma compressing nerves in her lumbar spine, occupying nearly 95% of her spinal canal. After specialized surgery w/@HopkinsSpine @alibydonmd, she’s back to normal life https://t.co/NnRvMwf2LV

[Daniel Lubelski @DanielLubelski]

@JHMRadOnc Thank you for the recognition!! Love the collaboration between @HopkinsNsurg @HopkinsSpine and @JHMRadOnc. Multidisciplinary care for patients with #spinetumors leads to better outcomes!

[Hopkins Neurosurgery Spine @HopkinsSpine]

@HopkinsNsurg @DanielLubelski @BeckersASC @alibydonmd @LubelskiLab

[Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery @HopkinsNsurg]

🎉Congrats to @hopkinsspine @DanielLubelski who has been recognized as 1 of 15 neurosurgeons to know by @BeckersASC. Read more: https://t.co/AFq7nODVtX #spinetumor

[Amir Manbachi, Ph.D. @AManbachi]

A very proud mentor moment: congratulations to Dr. Max Kerensky on successfully defending his PhD at Johns Hopkins and beginning his next chapter at McKinsey & Company!

It has been a privilege to watch Max grow into an outstanding researcher, colleague, mentor, and friend. 🎓👏

[Jeffrey Mullin, MD, MBA, FCNS @jeffreymullinmd]

The inaugural Buffalo Emerging Spine Tech course was a resounding success. Many thanks to go around. Great faculty and attendees. Most of all, thanks to all those that helped make it happen.
Already looking ahead to next year!

[Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery @HopkinsNsurg]

We are excited to share that Kurt Lehner will join our exceptional pediatric neurosurgery team on July 1. Welcome to the team, Kurt! We’re glad to have you on board.

[Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery @HopkinsNsurg]

Congrats to @tdazad on the great presentations he gave at #SRSIMAST26 #IMAST26 last week. Great to have @HopkinsSpine represented at this tremendous #scoliosis #spinaldeformity meeting.

[Johns Hopkins Neuro-Oncology Surgical Outcomes Lab @NeuroOncSurgery]

Grateful to our sponsors & the 131 registrants and in-person participants from med schools across the country including @NeurosurgUCSF @NeurosurgeryNM @MGBneurosurgery @ColumbiaNeuro @PittNeurosurg @UVAneurosurg @PennNSG+ for making our subI boot camp so enriching...

[Ali.Bydon @alibydonmd]

@HopkinsNsurg @tdazad @HopkinsSpine @DanielLubelski Tej is a master surgeon and a thoughtful physician. He elevates our clinical, academic and teaching missions. Welcome Tej.

[Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery @HopkinsNsurg]

We are thrilled to share that our own @tdazad will join @HopkinsSpine in January 2027! With advanced training in adult & pediatric spinal deformity, we are excited to welcome him to our growing program!

[Tej D. Azad 🇺🇸 @tdazad]

Can we measure spinal cord injury in (near) real time during surgery?

In a case report (link in thread), the Spinal Cord Injury Index tracked cord manipulation during intramedullary tumor resection and mirrored clinical course. @HopkinsNsurg @HopkinsSpine

[Nicholas Theodore,MD @DrNTheodore]

Wow! Congratulations to my 4 Johns Hopkins medical students who spent time in the HEPIUS and Theodore Labs and ALL MATCHED IN NEUROSURGERY
#HEPIUS #neurosurgery #matchday

[Jawad Khalifeh, MD @jkhalifeh_md]

Fun project w/ post-doc Dr. Davidar @LubelskiLab . We looked at the use of Carbon Fiber screws in spine onc. Advantages: reduced MR imaging artifact, potentially better tumor surveillance and radiation planning. Downside: cost. We propose hybrid strategy as cost-effective option.

[The S.P.I.N.E. Neurosurgery Innovation Lab @LubelskiLab]

Carbon fiber–reinforced PEEK (CFR-PEEK) screws offer superior radiolucency on imaging, facilitating improved tumor surveillance and radiation planning. Although CFR-PEEK instrumentation provides distinct advantages in spinal oncology, its widespread adoption remains limited by cost. Hybrid titanium/CFR-PEEK constructs have therefore emerged as a pragmatic alternative.

Our cost-effectiveness analysis demonstrates that hybrid constructs provide a more economically favorable option compared with all–CFR-PEEK constructs, supporting their role as a financially sustainable strategy in oncologic spine surgery.

@HopkinsNsurg @HopkinsSpine @HopkinsMedicine
@CarboFix @icotecmed
#Neurosurgery

[The S.P.I.N.E. Neurosurgery Innovation Lab @LubelskiLab]

Colorectal cancer spine metastases represent a high risk and complex surgical population. Patrick Kramer @pkrame16, an MS3 trainee at Johns Hopkins, shared our institutional experience at #SpineSummit 2026. Key findings:
• The sacral region was the most commonly involved site.
• CK20 expression, TP53, and KRAS mutations were identified as markers associated with poor prognosis.
• Synergistic molecular interactions defined high risk phenotypes that can aid in risk stratification.

Key takeaway: Molecular context is critical for prognostication and risk stratification in metastatic spine disease. Moving forward, how should biomarker driven models shape surgical decision making and surveillance?
@spinesection @HopkinsSpine @HopkinsNsurg
#Neurosurgery #Spine #Oncology #AANS #SpineSummit

[The S.P.I.N.E. Neurosurgery Innovation Lab @LubelskiLab]

Clear Margins vs Neurological Preservation?
Malignant tumor resection has long forced a difficult choice: clear margins or nerve function. For decades, nerve sacrifice was accepted as the price of disease control. But permanent motor loss, sensory deficits, neuropathic pain, and loss of independence are not small tradeoffs.

Dr. @DanielLubelski recently shared how this paradigm is shifting at #SpineSummit 2026:
• Nerve preservation with adjuvant radiation is oncologically safe and guideline supported.
• Reconstruction is still underused despite strong functional recovery outcomes.
• Preoperative onco-reconstructive planning in a multidisciplinary team should be the new golden standard.

The question is no longer just “Can we get clear margins?” It is also “How do we preserve function and quality of life?”

Bottom line: do not just resect. Rewire.

@DanielLubelski @spinesection @HopkinsNsurg
#AANS #SpineSummit #Neurosurgery #Oncology

[The S.P.I.N.E. Neurosurgery Innovation Lab @LubelskiLab]

Congratulations to @RitvikJillala, an MS3 trainee at Johns Hopkins on presenting his insightful work, "Chronologic age underestimates surgical risk after ALIF/XLIF" at #SpineSummit 2026!

In this multi-cohort ALIF/XLIF analysis, biologic age outperformed mFI-5 and RAI-A for predicting 30-day morbidity and mortality, enabling stronger risk stratification and more precise preoperative counseling.

#AANS #SpineSummit #SpineSurgery #Frailty #BiologicalAge