His commitment to improving spinal surgery and his dedication to patients of the Wilhelm Schulthess Foundation have defined his career and changed the lives of countless patients all around the world.

Talk about a delicious donation! 15-year-old schoolboy Valerio had multiple operations on his spine at Schulthess Klinik this spring. 

Researchers at the Schulthess Clinic have co-authored a study that examines a model that allows for more accurate, automatic measurement of spinal parameters during X-rays. The model is based on deep learning and supports surgeons in particular in the diagnosis of adjacent segment disease.

The ‘HSS-Charité-Schulthess Spine Case Conference’ was held for the ninth time on 21 July. The conference is an occasion for specialists from the HSS Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Schulthess Klinik Zurich to join forces and share their knowledge with specialists from all over the world in online training sessions.

Long-segment fusion operations may be the best solution for treating spinal curvature in adults, but why do some patients experience mechanical complications after this kind of surgery? Our research team is on the case: working with ETH Zurich as part of the European Spine Study Group, it is looking into the causes of this with the aim of further improving and tailoring the treatment options available to these patients.

In November, Spine Surgery at Schulthess Klinik was successfully re-certified as one of four «AO Spine Centers» in Switzerland. Commitment to training and development is an important criterion of the certification and aligns with Schulthess Klinik’s guiding principle of passing on the knowledge of its specialists and developing the next generation of medics. Find out more about some of our other highlights from 2022.

For conditions and injuries involving the first two cervical vertebrae, one possible option is to fuse them both. Our study shows that this intervention is safe and delivers good results, despite the complexity involved.

Spine Surgery at Schulthess Klinik is one of four certified «AO Spine Centers» in Switzerland alongside the University Hospitals of Basel and Bern and the St. Gallen Cantonal Hospital. It is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Dezsö J. Jeszenszky, PhD. This certification is granted to only very few highly specialised centres in the field of spinal surgery. A commitment to education and training is a key area for the AO Spine Centers. Find out more about the highlights from 2021.

Most operations improve the symptoms of patients with adult curvature of the spine, but do not eliminate them completely. How much residual pain is the patient happy to live with after back surgery? What constitutes a good post-surgical result when treating spinal deformities in adults? Our research looked into these questions.

The Schulthess Klinik Spine Unit is celebrating its 33rd anniversary this year. Multidisciplinary care for spinal column patients has always been the focus here.