Spine Research Divisions
The spine center at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children is made up of three research divisions: the Division of TSRH® Spinal Implant Development, the Division of Creative Innovations and Novel Strategies for Treatment and the Division of Clinical Scoliosis Research.
Division of TSRH® Spinal Implant Development
The TSRH® Spinal System, originally developed by Dr. Tony Herring, Dr. Charles Johnston and Dr. Rich Ashman in collaboration with Medtronic Sofamor Danek, has been widely used for the treatment of spinal deformity for nearly two decades.
TSRHC has improved on this foundation with the TSRH® SILO™ 5.5 Spinal System. Through the Division of TSRH® Spinal Implant Development, directed by Dr. Charles Johnston, a multidisciplinary team of surgeons and researchers concentrate on taking the spinal implant system to a new level to meet ever-evolving needs for innovative treatments of spinal deformity. This system provides a versatile option to treat all types of spine conditions, including deformity, trauma, tumor and degenerative conditions.
Division of Creative Innovations and Novel Strategies for Treatment
The Division of Creative Innovations and Novel Strategies for Treatment, directed by Dr. Daniel Sucato, concentrates on developing a better understanding of spinal deformity to promote the investigation of innovative treatment methods.
This division promotes the investigation of minimally invasive techniques, non-fusion technology, advanced imaging, robotics and molecular biology, among other innovative strategies, to better treat patients with spinal deformities. Through the development of basic science that mimics the clinical challenges of spine deformity, this division focuses on developing a better understanding of the growth and biology of the spine and developing more effective methods of treatment.
Division of Clinical Scoliosis Research
The Division of Clinical Scoliosis Research, directed by Dr. Steve Richards, oversees all retrospective and prospective clinical studies and promotes continued collaboration between TSRHC's orthopaedic staff, fellows, residents, nurses and research coordinators to address important issues for TSRHC's spine patients.
This division will increase the hospital's spine research capabilities with the continued development of a spinal deformity research database in conjunction with Medtronic Sofamor Danek and PhDx Systems, Inc. This division supports continued collaboration between TSRHC and other institutions around the world through the Spine Deformity Study Group and Harms Study Group.