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Pine Creek Spine Surgeons: Leaders in Cutting-Edge Procedure
Posted on Jun 1, 2008
SPINE SURGEONS AT PINE CREEK MEDICAL CENTER TAKING THE LEAD IN UTILIZING STEM CELL TECHNOLOGIES IN SURGICAL PROCEDURES
Dallas, TX, May 19, 2008 — Spine surgeons at Pine Creek Medical Center in Dallas have established themselves as the leaders of a cutting edge surgical procedure that utilizes a patient’s own adult stem cells to regenerate tissue.
Three surgeons, Dr. Douglas Won and Dr. Michael Rimlawi, and Dr. Francisco J Battle have extensive experience in harvesting adult stem cells during a routine spinal procedure and delivering those cells to their patients to aid in the treatment of severe back pain.
According to the World Research Group, disorders of the spine are one of the largest public health problems in the U.S. As the population ages, incidents of spinal degeneration will likely continue to increase. The healthcare system will have to figure out how to maintain technological development and reduce the costs of procedures. Pine Creek Medical Center recognizes this growing challenge and with the support of their progressive spine surgeons they are able to offer these promising procedures to their patients.
“The advancing technology in stem cell therapy is driving spine surgeons to look at different approaches to what has been considered the standard of care. The latest Fusionary procedure allows me to harvest the stem cells from the patient in a point of care process in the operating room during my routine spinal procedure. We not only deliver these tissue forming adult stem cells back to the patient in a timely manner but the pain of harvesting the cells is minimal,” says Dr. Won.
Why are stem cell technologies significantly impacting the future of medicine? Adult stem cells have the remarkable potential to differentiate and become new tissue forming cells in a variety of pathologies including bone, tendon, cartilage and heart muscle. The potential of stem cells in regenerative medicine is virtually limitless and is being studied for a host of treatments throughout the world today. In addition, now the technology is available to procure adult stem cells from bone marrow and adipose tissue without challenging ethical issues associated with embryonic stem cells.
“The medical community is now starting to take notice of the impact stem cells have on the future of medicine. Science has demonstrated the huge potential of stem cells in regenerative medicine and now the technologies are available to deliver these therapies to the patient. The breakthrough shows promising results and should ultimately lower costs. These therapies will become the standard of care in the future,” says Dr. Rimlawi.
The applications for stem cell therapy continue to be researched and developed and the clinical data will continue to be studied to prove efficacy. The surgeons at Pine Creek Medical Center are leaders in the innovation and continue to believe that these therapies will be the foundation of their Wellness Center of the future.
About Pine Creek Medical Center
Pine Creek Medical Center is a private, physician-owned and operated hospital founded by a group of physicians in 2003 who are interested in bettering the health of the community and their patients through active physician-patient-family interaction in the personalized delivery of care. For more information about Pine Creek Medical Center visit www.pinecreekmedicalcenter.com or call 214.572.7122.
About SpineSmith Partners, LP
SpineSmith, LP, (www.spinesmithusa.com) designs, develops and markets implants and biologics for surgical fixation, correction and tissue regeneration of the spine. The company focuses on the development of truly innovative biological and hardware technologies for use in the treatment of patients with spinal disorders. FusionaryTM is a product by SpineSmith, an Austin, Texas-based company. For more information about SpineSmith or about FusionaryTM visit www.spinesmithusa.com or call 512.206.0770.