A pre-therapeutic coating for medical devices that prevents the attachment of Candida albicans.

Background: Hospital acquired fungal infections are defined as "never events"-medical errors that should never have happened. Systemic Candida albicans infections results in 30-50% mortality rates. Typically, adhesion to abiotic medical devices and implants initiates such infections.

A minimally invasive approach for posterior lumbar interbody fusion.

Object: Despite the technical innovations that posterior approaches for lumbar fusion have undergone, the goal of a significant reduction in the extent of dissection has remained elusive. Because extensive muscular dissection is related to both acute and chronic pain, a reproducible minimally invasive posterior approach to lumbar interbody fusion would have significant clinical value. The technical aspects of a minimally invasive approach to posterior lumbar interbody fusion (microPLIF) with fixation involving tools developed for videoscopic discectomy will be described.

Minimally invasive removal or revision of lumbar spinal fixation.

Background Context: There are both absolute and relative indications for the removal of pedicle screw fixation in the lumbar spine. Whatever the reasons are, removal of this hardware has required a surgical dissection that has been generally as extensive as the one used for their initial placement. These dissections are always disabling in the short term.