Surgeons competed at the Microsurgical Spine Course in Guadalajara

For the second time, the Microsurgical Spine Course took place from 02. to 03.11.2018 at the Hospital Puerta de Hierro in Guadalajara.

The exceptional course concept consisting of a theoretical part that covered topics such as use of microscope or orientation in the situs in microsurgery, preparatory imaging in lumbar microsurgery and an advanced training part such as management of complications in spine surgery, attracted many surgeons from all over Mexico this year. In a relaxed atmosphere, spine surgeons and neurosurgeons deepened their abilities on our newest RealSpine Spondylolisthesis training system with open access. The highlight of the course was an ‘Olympic’-type fine motor skills competition where spine surgeons and neurosurgeons competed against each other to demonstrate their skills in surgical dexterity, depth perception and speed.

A Mexican tequila as the main prize motivated all participants to give their best. Different colored beads had to be threaded on a needle-spiked ball according to a predetermined order of color. Performing the exercise under a microscope presented an additional challenge. The participants were timed during the exercise in two rounds. In the semifinals, the best two then competed against the faculty Dr. Andreas Korge and Dr. Michael Dittmar. We would like to particularly thank Dr. Javier Ramos and Dr. Michael Dittmar for organizing the course and making it a success.