Columbia Orthopaedics

Fall 2005, Click here to view the New York-Presbyterian / Columbia Orthopaedics newsletter

Spring 2006, Click here to view the New York-Presbyterian / Columbia Orthopaedics newsletter

Fall 2006, Click here to view the New York-Presbyterian / Columbia Orthopaedics newsletter

Spring 2007, Click here to view the New York-Presbyterian / Columbia Orthopaedics newsletter

Dr. William Levine's The Althletes Elbow Monograph receives 4 Stars from Doody Enterprises Inc., the premiere provider of expert review of medical books and software.

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Dr. William Levine discusses injury and anticipated recovery of New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur with NHL.com

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Louis U. Bigliani, M.D., Frank E. Stinchfield Professor and Chairman at Columbia University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Stands Up and is Counted as the 121st President of the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) on June 4, 2008. In his Presidential Address “Stand Up and Be Counted – 2008”, Dr. Bigliani stressed the importance the AOA mission has today and the organization's unique position to influence change and provide leadership for the orthopaedic profession, patients and society as well as graduate medical education for our future.
The AOA is the oldest and most distinguished Orthopaedic Association in the world. Membership in the AOA is achieved by those who have made a significant contribution to education, research, and the practice of orthopaedic surgery. During his Presidency, Dr. Bigliani will represent the AOA at orthopaedic associations meetings in England, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
Dr. Bigliani is recognized as a leader and innovator in his field and lectures around the world. Dr. Bigliani, the 9th Director of the New York Orthopaedic Hospital --one of the oldest orthopaedic hospitals in the United States, is the 3rd NYOH Director to become AOA President.

Dr. William Levine, Orthopedic surgeon talks about Boomeritis, what exactly is Boomeritis, and how you can prevent it by being physically active. Click here for more details>>

Drs. Samuel Cho (PY5) and Douglas Nowak (PY4) has recently won 2 of the 3 prizes awarded at the Brooklyn Orthopaedic Society Meeting!

Dr. Christopher Ahmad appeared on CBS's The Early Show on May 29, 2008 on a segment called Have Summer Fun Without Getting Hurt. He discusses how you can do certain activities and avoid being injured. To view his appearance please click here for details

Dr. William Levine has recently been named to the Board of Directors for the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine (AOSSM). The AOSSM, founded in 1972, is a national organization of orthopaedic surgeons dedicated to sports medicine and is a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication, and fellowship. Dr. Levine is an “under age 45” member of the board.

Dr. Christopher Ahmad has been recently selected to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) Council of Delegates. The AOSSM, founded in 1972, is a national organization of orthopedic surgeons dedicated to sports medicine and is a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication, and fellowship.

Dr. Christopher Ahmad had been certified in sports medicine by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS). The ABOS establishes educational standards and continuing qualifications and knowledge of orthopedic surgeons. Subspecialty certification in sports medicine is now the gold standard.

Drs. Christopher Ahmad and William Levine are guest editors in the October 2007 (Issue 4, Volume 17) issue of Operative Techniques in Orthopaedics. This issue of the journal is entitled "Management of the Patellofemoral Joint". Click here for more details

Dr. William Macaulay has been named the Anne Youle Stein Professor of Clinical Orthopedic Surgery. A named professorship is an academic honor awarded by the Trustees of Columbia University to outstanding clinicians, academics and researchers.

Dr. David Roye and Dr. Michael Vitale appeared on a live webcast about the early onset of scoliosis on Wednesday, December 5, 2007. The webcast is titled "Avoiding Fusion in Early Onset Scoliosis: Growing Rods and the VEPTR" and it aired on OR-Live. Click here to view the webcast

Dr. Mark Weidenbaum appeared on NBC's The Today Show on November 8, 2007 on a segment called Ease your Aching Back. To view his appearance please click Here

Dr. Michael Vitale appeared on the CBS news on October 24, 2007. He was discussing the early onset of Scoliosis. Click here for more details

Dr. William Macaulay appeared on the CBS news on October 9, 2007. He was discussing Hip Resurfacing. Click here for more details

Dr. William Macaulay was chosen as the winner of the third annual Lawrence D. Dorr, MD Award for the most outstanding paper in surgical techniques and technologies, which he will present at the annual meeting of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons on Nov. 2-4, 2007 in Dallas, TX. The abstract is entitled “Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Hemiarthroplasty to Total Hip Arthroplasty in the Treatment of Displaced Femoral Neck Fractures: Outcomes at Two Years.”

Dr. Michael Vitale received the Angela Kuo Award from POSNA (Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America).
This award was given to a POSNA member under age 45 who has contributed significantly to research.

Dr. William Macaulay discusses the FDA approved hip resurfacing, also known as the Birmingham Hip System, which is an alternative to total hip replacement. Since the artificial hip typically lasts about 20 years, the hip resurfacing procedure is most beneficial to younger patients, who would still have the opportunity to have a total hip replacement in the future. Click here for more details

Dr. Christopher Ahmad speaks on techniques to enhance the healing of arthroscopic double-row rotator cuff repairs. Click here to view the article

Columbia Orthopedics faculty new book on Minimally Invasive Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. Drs. William Levine and Christopher Ahmad have a new book. Click here to view the book cover

Dr. William Levine comments on how the anatomic AC reconstruction are making the Weaver-Dunn technique history... Click here for more details

Columbia Orthopedics supports the 2007 Squash Tornament at Grand Central
February 24th to March 2nd, 2007 NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia Orthopedics Center for Shoulder, Elbow and Sports Medicine is proud to be an official sponsor of the Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions Squash 2007, taking place February 24th through March 2nd in Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall. The competition, which brings together the world's best squash players, takes place in a four-walled glass squash court, erected under the Hall's soaring 48-foot ceiling and gold chandeliers. Erected aside the court is a ticketed seating gallery as well as a free viewing area for the general public. The Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions has been held in Grand Central since 1995, spare 1996 – 1998 when the Terminal was under renovation. It is the only annual sports championship held in Grand Central.
Dr. William Levine, Director of Sports Medicine and Associate Director of NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia Orthopedics Center for Shoulder, Elbow and Sports Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and Head Team Physician for Columbia University has been the Tournament's Medical Director since 2001. Dr. Levine, along with
Dr. Christopher Ahmad, an Assistant Attending Orthopedic Surgeon in the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at the Center, provides on-site medical care to players during the Tournament.

Drs. William Macaulay and Jeffrey Geller hosted a live webcast on Thursday, February 8, 2007 at 8pm EST. They discussed total hip resurfacing, with a focus on the only FDA-approved hip implant known as Birmingham Hip. Click here for more details

Dr. Christopher Ahmad will be one of the hosts and wellthness experts at the Wellthness Expo this Thursday, January 11th, 2007, in Edgewater, NJ. Everyone will get together at Whole Foods Market Edgewater to declare this day as "Wellthness Day". Click here for more details

In 2006, Dr. William Levine was just named Deputy Editor of the Shoulder and Elbow section of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS).

Dr. William Macaulay's Center for Hip & Knee Replacement received runner up honors in New York Magazine's Best Hospitals 2006. This is an incredible achievement for the CHKR, which performed 1,040 hip replacements last year. Click here to view the article

Drs. David Roye and Michael Vitale implanted the FDA approved verticle expandable titanium rib prosthesis (VEPTR) on their 18 month old patient, Jenna, in May 2005. Jenna had been diagnosed with thoracic insufficiency syndrome. This device, which was created by Synthes Spine Inc., was implanted to straighten out Jenna's spine. Click here to view the article

Dr. Jeffrey Geller uses replacement knees made for women only. Dr. Jeffrey Geller immediately began using Zimmer's FDA-approved Gender Solutions High-Flex Knee. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), more women than men are having this operation. Dr. Geller believes that this new implant for women has helped him in the OR and has also benefited his female patients after surgery. Click here to view the article

Dr. Christopher Ahmad was the author of a study entitled "Adolescent Girl Athletes More Likely to Injure Knees Than Boys", which was published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. Click here to view the article

In 2006, Drs. Joshua Hyman and David Roye traveled to China in May with Children of China to operate on children with pediatric orthopedic problems

In 2006, Drs. Michael Vitale and David Roye: CoChairman: Current Techniques and Advances in the Use of Thoracic Pedicle Screws; Scottsdale, AZ

In 2006, Dr. Christopher Ahmad joined the Pediatric Orthopedic division; specializing in Adolescent Sports Injuries

2006 Grants and Awards Funded! Four Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) grants were awarded to Columbia University faculty, residents, and students this year. The recipients of these grants were Dr. Francis Lee, Dr. Christopher Ahmad, and Dr. Sanjeev Suratwala. This is a highly competitive process and Columbia received more grants than any other institution this year. Please see the attached file for details

In 2006, Dr. Michael Vitale was awarded the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America Traveling Fellowship in Europe from March 21 - April 9, 2006. It consisted of 3 weeks of lecturing and speaking about Advanced in Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery

In 2006, Dr. Michael Vitale was nominated for Presidency of Brooklyn Orthopedic Society, and he was also nominated for the Board of Trustees Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America

In 2006, Dr. Justin Greisberg was appointed to the education committee of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, where he has edited and written several sections of the core syllabus for orthopaedic surgeon education. The syllabus forms the basis for education of surgeons about the foot and ankle. Specifically, Dr. Greisberg has written the sections on foot and ankle trauma, and is editing other sections on reconstructive foot surgery. In addition, he just completed work on a complete textbook of foot and ankle surgery, which will be available in print by the end of the year

In 2005, Drs. William Levine and William Macaulay were inducted into the AOA (American Orthopaedic Association)

In 2005, Dr. William Levine became a member of the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA), the oldest and most distinguished orthopaedic association in the world

In 2005, Dr. William Macaulay became a member of the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA), the oldest and most distinguished orthopaedic association in the world. Membership to the AOA is granted to those who have made a significant contribution to education, research, and the practice of orthopaedic surgery

In 2005, Drs. Francis Lee and William Levine became members of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Evaluation Committee this year. The AAOS is the world's largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists

In 2005, Dr. Francis Lee was awarded the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons/Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (AAOS/OREF) Clinician Scientist Traveling Fellowship Award. Over the next year, Dr. Lee will visit established musculoskeletal scientists at one or more research sites

2004 - 2006, Dr. Francis Lee was awarded some research grants from OREF, Aircast Foundation and Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation

In 2005, Dr. William Levine was selected to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Leadership Fellows Program (LFP). The goal of the program is to inspire young Academy fellows to take on leadership roles within the AAOS and in orthopaedics

Drs. Christopher Ahmad, Louis Bigliani and William Levine are currently performing Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement surgery on a number of patients who previously would not have had any other options. The FDA approved the Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement in 2004, after nearly 15 years of use in Europe . This procedure is for patients with: 1) massive rotator cuff tear and arthritis with inability to raise arm above the horizontal ("pseudoparalysis"), 2) painful joint replacement following complex fracture of the proximal humerus, 3) failed joint replacement with massive rotator cuff tear. The majority of our patients who have had the procedure now can raise their arm above the horizontal and have significant improvement in quality of life, pain relief, and overall function

REVERSE TOTAL SHOULDER REPLACEMENT

The FDA approved the Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement in 2004 (after nearly 15 years of use in Europe) and Drs. Ahmad, Bigliani and Levine have performed this operation on a number of patients who previously would not have had any other options.

What is a Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement?

As shown on the left below, the reverse shoulder replacement has the "ball" on the "socket" side of the shoulder joint, unlike a standard shoulder replacement (below right).

Reverse Total Shoulder Standard Total Shoulder

Am I a Candidate for This Procedure?

This prosthesis is designed for patients with:

1) Massive irreparable rotator cuff tear and arthritis with inability to raise arm above the horizontal ("pseudoparalysis")

2) Painful joint replacement following complex fracture of the proximal humerus

3) Failed joint replacement with massive rotator cuff tear

This prosthesis is not designed for routine patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or proximal humerus fractures.

What Can I Expect If I Have this Prosthesis?

For patients who cannot raise their arm ("Pseudoparalysis"), it can dramatically change your function. The majority of our patients who have had the procedure now can raise their arm above the horizontal and have significant improvement in quality of life, pain relief, and overall function. It is not, however, for everyone. Careful evaluation with one of our physicians will determine if this is an appropriate option for you.

Below is a fairly typical example of a patient who could not raise their arm preoperatively (left) and her postoperative range of motion 8 weeks postoperatively (right):

How Do I Find Out More About This Procedure?

Make an appointment with any of our physicians in the Center for Shoulder, Elbow and Sports Medicine (CSES) to determine if you are a candidate for this procedure.

Call 212-305-4565 to make an appointment.