04/11/2026
🚨 OUR RESEARCH MADE IT TO THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR ADVANCEMENT OF SPINE SURGERY🚨
We studied how blood vessels and nerves are positioned in the lower spine in patients from Johns Hopkins University, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, and centers in Oklahoma.
Even though people in these groups were different in age, background, and level of spine wear-and-tear, we found something very important:
👉 The overall anatomy was highly consistent.
In fact, about 78% of people share the same “Type 1” pattern, making it by far the most common arrangement. Smaller groups had different patterns, but these were much less frequent.
Why does this matter? For surgeons, knowing that most patients have a predictable structure helps make procedures safer and more precise. It allows better planning before surgery and reduces unexpected challenges.
We also found that common age-related changes—like arthritis in the spine—can slightly shift these structures. While the main pattern stays the same, these small differences are important and help doctors further improve safety.
💡 Bottom line:
Most people share a similar spine anatomy, and understanding both the common pattern and small variations helps make spine surgery safer for everyone.
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Estudiamos cómo están posicionados los vasos sanguíneos y nervios en la parte baja de la columna en pacientes de Johns Hopkins University, la University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine y Oklahoma.
A pesar de que los pacientes eran diferentes en edad, origen y desgaste de la columna, encontramos algo muy importante:
👉 La anatomía fue muy similar en todos los grupos.
Esto significa que los cirujanos pueden confiar en patrones bastante predecibles al planificar cirugías de columna.
También vimos que cambios comunes con la edad (como la artritis) pueden modificar un poco estas estructuras, lo que ayuda a mejorar la planificación y la seguridad quirúrgica.
💡 En resumen:
El cuerpo humano es más consistente de lo que pensamos, y entender pequeñas variaciones ayuda a hacer la cirugía mas segura.
