UCI Health pioneers carbon fiber spine implants
UCI Health surgeons are among the earliest adopters in Orange County to use carbon fiber implants for complex spine reconstruction following tumor removal. Orthopaedic spine surgeon Hao-Hua Wu, MD and neurosurgeon Hansen Bow, MD performed the procedure on a patient with thyroid cancer that had spread to the upper spine, resulting in spinal cord injury.
Carbon fiber implants offer important clinical advantages, including improved imaging quality on CT and MRI scans and reduced radiation exposure during follow-up treatment. The patient experienced significant neurological recovery and returned to work within weeks of surgery.