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    Award Winning & Top Abstract Presentations: Session 3

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

    Presentations:

    • 7:00 AM - 7:03 AM MST
      Welcome and Introduction
    • 7:03 AM - 7:06 AM MST
      Revision Anterior Lumbar Spine Access Surgery: Is It Safe?

      Presenting Author: Sree M. Vemu, MD – Houston Methodist Hospital

    • 7:06 AM - 7:09 AM MST
      Surgical Site Infection After Spine Surgery Increases The Risk of New-Onset Mental Health Disorders: A Propensity-Matched Cohort Study

      Presenting Author: Nithin Gupta, DO – Jefferson Health NJ

    • 7:09 AM - 7:12 AM MST
      Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Long-Term Lumbar Spine Degeneration and Surgical Intervention in Obese Patients: A Propensity-Matched Cohort Study

      Presenting Author: Youssef M. Khalafallah, MD – Baylor College of Medicine

    • 7:12 AM - 7:15 AM MST
      Pre-Operative Use of Antipsychotic Medications is Associated with Higher Rates of Healthcare Utilization, Complications, and Opioid Use After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

      Presenting Author: Ankit Hirpara, MD – University Hospitals/Case Western Reserve University

    • 7:15 AM - 7:18 AM MST
      Mortality rate and Its Predictors in Patients With DISH or Ankylosing Spondylitis Following Fractures Due to Falls or Trauma.

      Presenting Author: Zachary Pennington, MD – Mayo Clinic

    • 7:18 AM - 7:21 AM MST
      Influence of surgical technique, interbody characteristics and radiographic parameters on fusion rates across the disc space and posterolateral elements following tranforaminal lumbar interbody fusion

      Presenting Author: Zachary Pennington, MD – Mayo Clinic

    • 7:21 AM - 7:24 AM MST
      Time-to-event analysis of implant subsidence following one- or two-level anterior lumbar interbody fusion for degenerative pathologies

      Presenting Author: Zachary Pennington, MD – Mayo Clinic

    • 7:24 AM - 7:27 AM MST
      What is a Better Predictor of Disability in Adult Spinal Deformity Patients: Gait or Radiographic Parameters?

      Presenting Author: John F. Burke, MD, PhD – University of Oklahoma

    • 7:27 AM - 7:30 AM MST
      Radiation Dose and Hospital Costs Associated with Revision Surgery for Pedicle Screw Malposition: A Five-Year Single-Center Analysis

      Presenting Author: Renzo A. Laynes, MD – Virginia Mason Medical Center

    • 7:30 AM - 7:33 AM MST
      Statin Use Is Associated with Reduced Incidence of Vertebral Fracture in Females Aged 50+ with Osteoporosis: A Propensity-Matched Analysis

      Presenting Author: Stephan Aynaszyan, MD – Temple University Hospital, Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine

    • 7:33 AM - 7:36 AM MST
      Foraminal stenosis predicts conversion to fusion after primary single-level minimally invasive decompression

      Presenting Author: Tejas Subramanian, MD – University of Chicago

    • 7:36 AM - 7:39 AM MST
      Association between glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists and surgical outcomes after anterior and lateral lumbar interbody fusion

      Presenting Author: Simon G. Ammanuel, MD – UW health

    • 7:39 AM - 7:42 AM MST
      Cell Saver in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: Helping or Hurting?

      Presenting Author: Iyan Younus, MD – Vanderbilt University Medical Center

    • 7:42 AM - 7:45 AM MST
      Development of BMP-2 Releasing Nanoparticles in a Biomimetic Bone Graft: Enhancing Spinal Fusion in a Rat Model

      Presenting Author: Mahnoor Shafi, MBBS – Johns Hopkins Medical Institute

    • 7:45 AM - 7:48 AM MST
      Outcomes of Circumferential Minimally-Invasive Technique vs. Open Technique in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery Patients Over 80 Years of Age: A Propensity Matched Analysis

      Presenting Author: Peter G. Passias, MD – Duke University

    • 7:48 AM - 7:51 AM MST
      Paired Biomechanical Comparison of Cortical and Traditional Pedicle Screw Constructs Under Cyclic Loading in a Severely Destabilized Lumbar Spine Model
    • 7:51 AM - 7:54 AM MST
      Retrospective Comparison of Zoledronic Acid and Denosumab for Prevention of Vertebral Compression Fractures in Multiple Myeloma

      Presenting Author: Ethan Wetzel, BS – Harvard Medical School

    • 7:54 AM - 7:57 AM MST
      Are Two-Year Minimum Clinically Important Differences for Patient Reported Outcome Measures in Patients with Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Valid at Five Years? A Spine CORe QOD Study

      Presenting Author: MALIYA DELAWAN, MBBS – University of Chicago

    • 7:57 AM - 8:00 AM MST
      SpineTrak: Results of the First Randomized Controlled Trial Using a Consumer Wearable in Elective Spine Surgery

      Presenting Author: Gavin C. Touponse – Stanford

    • 8:00 AM - 8:03 AM MST
      Regional Contributions to Thoracic Flexibility: Implications for Proximal Junctional Complications in Adult Spinal Deformity

      Presenting Author: Alex Upfill-Brown, MD – Hospital for Special Surgery

    • 8:03 AM - 8:06 AM MST
      Intraoperative Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Reveals Hyperemia in Central Cord Syndrome and Perfusion Loss in Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

      Presenting Author: Roshini Ramkumar, MD – University of Washington

    • 8:06 AM - 8:09 AM MST
      Enhancing Patient Understanding of Imaging Reports in Spine Surgery Using Artificial Intelligence Natural Language Processing: A Randomized Controlled Trial

      Presenting Author: Shailen G. Sampath, Msc – Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

    • 8:09 AM - 8:12 AM MST
      P-15 Peptide Enhanced Bone Graft is Superior to Autograft in TLIF Fusion Rates: A Multicenter RCT Including Higher-Risk Subgroup Analysis

      Presenting Author: John E. O'Toole, MD, MS – Rush University

    • 8:12 AM - 8:15 AM MST
      Early hypertonic saline infusion is associated with mean arterial pressure augmentation and superior neurologic recovery following acute traumatic spinal cord injury

      Presenting Author: TJ Florence, MD PhD – UCLA Neurosurgery

    • 8:15 AM - 8:18 AM MST
      Intraoperative 0.05% Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG) Irrigation Reduces Surgical Site Infections in Thoracolumbar Spine Surgery

      Presenting Author: Dallas E. Kramer, MD – Allegheny Health Network

    • 8:18 AM - 8:21 AM MST
      Octogenarians with Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression: Should We Operate?

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

    • 8:21 AM - 8:24 AM MST
      Do Outcomes Diverge Over Time? A 5-year Quality Outcomes Database Study Comparing Minimally Invasive vs Open Surgery for Degenerative Low-Grade Lumbar Spondylolisthesis.

      Presenting Author: Farhan Khan, MD – Columbia University Irving Medical Center

    • 8:24 AM - 8:27 AM MST
      Are Certain Facets of Disability from Degenerative Low-Grade Spondylolisthesis Better Improved with Minimally Invasive or Open Surgery? A 5-year Quality Outcomes Database Study.

      Presenting Author: Farhan Khan, MD – Columbia University Irving Medical Center

    • 8:27 AM - 8:30 AM MST
      Does Sustained Intraoperative Hypotension During Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery Lead to Worse Outcomes?

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