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    Specialty Abstract Breakout Session 1: Degenerative

    Saturday, February 28, 2026
    7:00 AM - 8:30 AM MST

    Presentations:

    • 7:00 AM - 7:02 AM MST
      Welcome and Introduction
    • 7:02 AM - 7:04 AM MST
      Association of Physical Activity and Obesity with The Risk of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

      Presenting Author: Faraz Arkam, MD – Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

    • 7:04 AM - 7:06 AM MST
      Characterization of Outcomes with 3D Navigation-Guided Pedicle Screw Placement: A Large Retrospective Review of 1066 Screws

      Presenting Author: Joseph Rajasekaran, B.S – Drexel University College of Medicine

    • 7:06 AM - 7:08 AM MST
      Clinically-Guided Models Versus Foundation Models for Predicting Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy from Electronic Health Records

      Presenting Author: Salim Yakdan, MD, MSCI – Washington University in St. Louis

    • 7:08 AM - 7:10 AM MST
      Greater Increases in Bone Strength Estimates of Virtual Bone-Implant Constructs for Spinal Fusion With Romosozumab vs Teriparatide or Denosumab in Women With Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

      Presenting Author: Tony M. Keaveny, PhD – University of California, Berkeley

    • 7:10 AM - 7:12 AM MST
      Postoperative Lumbar Epidural Hematoma: Pain is the Predominating Symptom Not Weakness

      Presenting Author: Harsh Jain, MBBS – Vanderbilt University Medical Center

    • 7:12 AM - 7:14 AM MST
      Isolating the Effect of Surgeon Experience on Spine Surgery Outcomes: A Retrospective Cohort Study Stratified by Procedure Type

      Presenting Author: Srikanth N. Divi, MD – Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

    • 7:14 AM - 7:16 AM MST
      Multi-Center Registry Update: 1-Year Follow-Up for Radiographic Alignment, Revisions and Clinical Outcomes with Personalized Lumbar Interbody Fusion Devices

      Presenting Author: Chun-Po Yen, MD – University of Virginia

    • 7:16 AM - 7:18 AM MST
      Not All GLP-1s Are Created Equal: Agent-Specific Effects on Perioperative and Long-Term Outcomes After Lumbar Spine Surgery

      Presenting Author: Rishi Jain, BA – Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

    • 7:18 AM - 7:20 AM MST
      Personalizing the Approach to Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Multivariable Trajectory Models to Define Precise Clinical Recovery Patterns

      Presenting Author: Karlo Pedro, MD – University of Toronto

    • 7:20 AM - 7:22 AM MST
      Preliminary Results of the Prospective Screening for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Trial: Analysis of the Geneva Cohort

      Presenting Author: Nasser Bouhalassa – Geneva University Hospitals

    • 7:24 AM - 7:26 AM MST
      Are Outcomes Between Minimally Invasive and Open Approaches for Degenerative Grade I Spondylolisthesis Influenced by Disease Burden? A 60-month QOD Study.

      Presenting Author: Peter J. Chabot, BA – Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

    • 7:26 AM - 7:28 AM MST
      A retrospective study comparing concentrated protein matrix versus recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein in patients undergoing lumbar interbody fusions for degenerative spinal disorders

      Presenting Author: Samuel B. Kankam, MD – Houston Methodist Hospital

    • 7:28 AM - 7:30 AM MST
      Cervical Spine Stability: Segmental vs. Multi-level Plating

      Presenting Author: Daralyn E. Johnson – San Diego State University

    • 7:30 AM - 7:32 AM MST
      Risk factors for loss of correction following 1-3-level anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion for degenerative disease: A Time-to-event analysis

      Presenting Author: Zachary Pennington, MD – Mayo Clinic

    • 7:32 AM - 7:34 AM MST
      Does Timing Matter? Impact of Early Surgery on 5-Year Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Outcomes from the Quality Outcomes Database

      Presenting Author: Eunice Yang, BS – Department of Neurological Surgery, Columbia University, The Och Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian, New York, New York

    • 7:34 AM - 7:36 AM MST
      Cervicogenic Headache Following Anterior Cervical Spinal Surgery: A Systematic Review

      Presenting Author: Alexander J. Schupper, MD – Shriners Hospital for Children

    • 7:36 AM - 7:38 AM MST
      Expanding ACDF into the Uncovertebral Joint: Safety and Early Outcomes

      Presenting Author: Robert K. Eastlack, MD – Scripps Clinic

    • 7:38 AM - 7:40 AM MST
      Decreased Complications After Cervical Fusion in Patients with Diabetes Using GLP-1 Agonists

      Presenting Author: Kelly Jiang, MS – Johns Hopkins

    • 7:40 AM - 7:42 AM MST
      Does Muscle Matter? A Novel Definition of Cervical Sarcopenia and Its Associations with Non-Improvement After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

      Presenting Author: Eric Zhao, BS – Hospital for Special Surgery

    • 7:44 AM - 7:46 AM MST
      Effects of Non-Tobacco Nicotine Dependence on Postoperative Complications in Lumbar Fusion: A Retrospective Analysis

      Presenting Author: Jonathan Sayegh, Medical Student – University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson

    • 7:46 AM - 7:48 AM MST
      Proton Pump Inhibitor For Treatment Of GERD Not Associated With Increased Rates Of Mechanical Complications After Multi-Level Posterior Lumbar Instrumentation: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis

      Presenting Author: Aydin Kaghazchi, MS – University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

    • 7:50 AM - 7:52 AM MST
      Efficacy and Safety of Mirogabalin Compared to Pregabalin in Patients with Radiculopathy Due to Lumbar Herniated Nucleus Pulposus
    • 7:52 AM - 7:54 AM MST
      Evaluating a Noninvasive Form of Central Sarcopenia Measurement as a Correlate of Pseudoarthrosis Risk Following Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Retrospective Analysis

      Presenting Author: Kramer Volkman, Jr., MD – Ochsner Clinic Foundation

    • 7:54 AM - 7:56 AM MST
      Automated Quantification of Paraspinal and Psoas Muscle Volume, Fatty Infiltration, and Cross-Sectional Area Across VBQ Associations, Threshold Derivation, and External Validation.
    • 7:56 AM - 7:58 AM MST
      Back in Motion: Return to Low-Impact Exercise With Biking and Elliptical Training After Degenerative Spine Surgery

      Presenting Author: Advith Sarikonda, BA BS – Vanderbilt University Medical Center

    • 7:58 AM - 8:00 AM MST
      Biological Age Outperforms Frailty Scores for Predicting 30-Day Outcomes after ALIF/XLIF

      Presenting Author: Ritvik R. Jillala, BSE – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

    • 8:00 AM - 8:02 AM MST
      Cage Overhang Ratio and Increased Radiographic Subsidence in Stand-Alone Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

      Presenting Author: Samuel H. Wakelin, BS – UPMC

    • 8:02 AM - 8:04 AM MST
      Cervical Disc Arthroplasty versus Anterior Cervical Disc Fusion for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy - A QOD Spine CORe Study

      Presenting Author: Daniel Zeitouni, MD – Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates

    • 8:04 AM - 8:06 AM MST
      Cervical Lordosis after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) with and without the Use of Skeletal Distraction Pins

      Presenting Author: Colin Gold, MD – Banner Health/University of Arizona

    • 8:08 AM - 8:10 AM MST
      The Cervical Spinal Preservation Index (CSPI): A Composite MRI-Based Clinical Decision Tool in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

      Presenting Author: Fauziyya Muhammad, MD, PhD – University of Oklahoma, Department of Neurosurgery

    • 8:10 AM - 8:12 AM MST
      Predictors of Neck Disability Index (NDI) Outcomes at 5 Years After Surgery for Cervical Myelopathy: A QOD Study

      Presenting Author: Rohin Singh, MD – University of Rochester

    • 8:12 AM - 8:14 AM MST
      L5 Vertebral Body Height Loss in Two-Level ALIF: Predictors and Clinical Correlates

      Presenting Author: Abdelrahman M. Hamouda, MD – Mayo Clinic

    • 8:16 AM - 8:18 AM MST
      Concomitant Low Back Pain in Patients Undergoing Cervical Spine Surgery: Incidence and Rates of Resolution with Cervical Spine Surgery
    • 8:18 AM - 8:20 AM MST
      The Impact of Pelvic Incidence on T1 Slope and T1 Pelvic Angle in Biomechanical Models with Varying Spinal Curvature

      Presenting Author: Eeric Truumees, MD – Ascension Texas Spine and Scoliosis

    • 8:20 AM - 8:22 AM MST
      The Impact of Prior Total Hip or Knee Arthroplasty on Clinical Outcomes and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Following Elective Lumbar Fusion

      Presenting Author: Yulia Lee, BA – Rothman Orthopaedic Institute

    • 8:22 AM - 8:24 AM MST
      Preoperative Weight Loss is Not Beneficial in Obese Patients Undergoing Cervical or Lumbar Fusion – A National Cohort Study of 57,961 Patients

      Presenting Author: Muhammad Talal Ibrahim, MD – Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

    • 8:24 AM - 8:26 AM MST
      Differential Effects of Global Shear Vector Orientation on Paraspinal Muscle Size: A Mediation Analysis

      Presenting Author: Arpan A. Patel, MD – Cleveland Clinic Foundation