title: Innovation in surgical technique. The story of spine surgery.
abstract: Innovations in spine surgery date back to the late nineteenth century when sterile surgery and anesthesia made progress possible. Were these advancements always done within the frame-work of ethical behavior, or were patients placed at inappropriate risks just for the sake of change? How does a surgeon choose to do a new procedure? What inner questions must be asked before proceeding? How much training is necessary, and from whom? How do we know when a new innovation is valid? In reality, these and other questions have faced us in the past. A review of historical process gives answers as to how we should behave in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Winter
mesh_terms: D001174:Arthrodesis / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000266:history*; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000266:history* / Q000601:surgery