Past Programs

The 8th Annual Symposium

The Omni Interlocken, Broomfield, Colorado, October 29, 2011

The 8th annual symposium presented a concise review of the latest advancements and treatment considerations in cranial, orthopedic and neurosurgical spine technology. The live series of innovative presentations included discussion on the latest advancements and treatment options in minimally invasive spine surgery, cranial base surgery and deep brain stimulation (DBS).

Our diverse panel of experts included distinguished visiting professor, Clifford B. Tribus, MD. Dr. Tribus discussed Isthmic Spondylolisthesis: Treatment Considerations, Tips and Pearls. He is an Associate Professor of orthopedic surgery at University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, WI. His research interests include spinal biomechanics, development of spinal implants, anatomy of the spine and clinical outcomes. Dr. Tribus specializes in disorders of the spine, including scoliosis and spinal deformity, cervical and lumbar disc degenerative disease, spinal trauma and spinal tumors.

More than 200 physicians, surgeons and other allied health care providers took part in this live educational activity which was jointly sponsored by Boulder Neurosurgical & Spine Associates (BNA), The Justin Parker Neurological Institute (JPNI) and The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).

Please be sure to save-the-date for our upcoming symposiums:

• Saturday, October 20, 2012
• Saturday, October 26, 2013

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Photos from the 2011 Symposium

Thanks to Our Supporters

The 7th Annual Symposium

The Omni Interlocken Resort, Broomfield, September 11, 2010

The symposium reviewed the rapid innovations in neurosurgical and orthopedic spine technology, advancements in minimally invasive spine surgery, skull base tumors and cerebrovascular surgery. Drs. Kevin O. Lillehei, MD (University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado) and Daniel Sciubba, MD (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland) were our visiting speakers.

Dr. Kevin O. Lillehei has a particular interest in the role of the immune system in intracranial tumor recognition and eradication. He is exploring the use of various tumor vaccines as adjuvant therapy for the treatment of malignant gliomas. Dr. Lillehei's lecture presented a very interactive insight into the minimally invasive approaches to skull base tumors.

Dr. Daniel Sciubba's research interests focus on developing new treatment options for the management of spine tumors, biomechanically evaluating novel spine instrumentation constructs and assessing the efficacy of surgical and medical therapeutics for spinal pathology. He presented a talk that discussed the new generation of minimally invasive approaches to the spine.

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Pictures from the 2010 Symposium

The 6th Annual Symposium

The Renaissance Boulder Suites Hotel at Flatiron, Broomfield, October 17, 2009.

The symposium reviewed the most innovative technologies and treatment methods including stem cell, laser and nanotechnology applications in the brain and spine. In addition, the latest evidence-based clinical practice guidelines were presented for the treatment of the brain and spine disorders.

Dr. Robert G. Grossman was our invited speaker. He discussed clinical therapies for spinal cord injury that are being tested in clinical trials. In the past decade, Dr. Grossman has organized a network of hospitals in North America to test new therapies for spinal cord injury, funded by the Christopher Reeve Foundation and the Department of Defense. Dr. Grossman also shared his recollections and account about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Dr. Grossman was one of the surgeons who examined President Kennedy in Trauma Room #1 at the Parkland Hospital in Texas.

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The 5th Annual Symposium

The Omni Interlocken Resort, Broomfield, November 15, 2008

The main objectives of the 5th annual symposium:

• To describe a number of new treatments and innovative technologies that are available for management of spinal and cranial disorders
• To discuss the progress that has been made in neurological surgery and its current role in the treatment of spine and cranial disorders
• To identify the importance of a comprehensive approach to the management of spine and cranial disorders
• To create a forum for discussion of the issues specific to everyday practice

One of the most memorable presentations was given by the 2008 distinguished visiting professor John Sampson, MD from Duke University. He is an internationally recognized expert in the field of neurosurgery, especially in the area of immunotherapy for brain tumors. His recent research involves attempts to stimulate an immune system assault on tumor cell with injections of a variant of epidermal growth factor receptor protein. Attendants of the symposium were able to hear first hand about Dr. Sampson’s work on tumor-specific vaccine for malignant gliomas.

The symposium also touched on current concepts in cerebrovascular surgery, new surgical solutions for aging spine, modern treatment of meningioma, and psychosurgery for anxiety and depression.

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Pictures from the 2008 Symposium

The 4th Annual Symposium

The Westin, Lakeview Pavilion, Westminster, November 10, 2007

The topics of the 4th annual symposium included cerebrovascular and skull base surgery, head injury, dynamic motion stabilization and adjacent level degeneration treatment, spine tumors and their surgical and radiosurgical management, and spinal applications of regenerative medicine.

The 2007 distinguished visiting professor was Dr. Ketan R. Bulsara, the Director of Cerebrovascular Surgery at Yale University School of Medicine. He is a board-certified neurosurgeon with dual fellowship training in endovascular neurosurgery and skull base/ cerebrovascular microsurgery. Dr. Bulsara has won numerous awards from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Bulsara has consistently been listed as one of the top physicians and surgeons in the United States by the Consumer Research Group of America. Dr. Bulsara’s talk covered novel technologies and challenging clinical problems in the rapidly developing field of cerebrovascular surgery.

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The 3rd Annual Symposium

The Westin, Lakeview Pavilion, November 11, 2006

The 3rd annual symposium provided critical merits of different treatment modalities including percutaneous discectomy and fusion, endovascular neurosurgery, new advances in Chiari malformation management, CyberKnife radiosurgery for tumors and vascular malformations, neuromodulation for pain disorders, intraoperative image guidance, and treatment of spinal deformity. The presentations and interactions with the audience were of tremendous value for both sides.

The 2006 distinguished visiting professor was Dr. Jeffery Henn, who has a successful neurosurgical practice in Fort Myers, Florida. His interest peaks in cutting-edge spinal techniques, including minimally invasive and complex spine surgery.

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The 2nd Annual Symposium

The Omni Interlocken Resort, Broomfield, October 8, 2005

The symposium discussed advances in surgical and non-surgical therapies, including techniques and indications for total disc arthroplasty, spinal electrodiagnostics, intraoperative neuromonitoring, transphenoidal surgery for pituitary lesions, and strategies for patient selection to improve surgical outcomes.

The distinguished faculty present at the 2005 symposium were: Alan Villavicencio, MD; Jeffrey Thramann, MD; Gregory Arends, MD; Lee Nelson, MD; Lee McNeely, MD; Alan Zacharias, MD; Samuel E. Smith, MD; Steven M. Zak, MD; Daniel S. Bennett, MD and John A. Odom, MD.

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The 1st Annual Symposium

The Bolderado Hotel, Boulder, May 22, 2004

The first meeting was a spectacular success! The presentations and clinical topics were of true interest to the audience as reflected by the feedbacks we have received. This was the main reason why we decided to make this an annual event.

The program began with presentations on fundamental techniques for evaluating spine patients, including spinal electrodiagnostics, followed by a discussion on spinal interventions and injection techniques, intraoperative surgical techniques involving endoscopic transthoracic discectomy and sympathectomy, discussion on operative and non-operative management of patients with spinal trauma, and treatment of patients with spinal deformity.

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