Professor Dae-jin Cho's team at Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong selected as Top 5 paper in September issue of Neurospine

From left: Professors Dae-jin Cho and Seong-soo Bae, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong (photo=KyungHee University Hospital)

Professor Dae-jin Cho’s team (Professors Ho-yong Choi and Seong-soo Bae) from the Department of Neurosurgery at Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong was selected as a Top 5 paper in the September issue of the prestigious international journal Neurospine. This paper, the only clinical study among the Top 5, underscores its clinical significance.

Neurospine is a prestigious journal in the fields of neurosurgery and spine research, with an impact factor of 3.8 as of June 2024. Based on the impact factor, a key quality assessment metric, it ranks as the second-highest journal globally in spine research, following The Spine Journal. This adds significant weight to its selection as a Top 5 paper.

Professor Dae-jin Cho's team (Professors Ho-yong Choi and Seong-soo Bae) conducted a study titled "Distal Junctional Failure After Fusion Stopping at L5 in Patients With Adult Spinal Deformity: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Radiographic Criteria." The research focuses on “Adjacent Segment Syndrome” , a complication that can arise during adult spinal deformity surgery. Adjacent Segment Syndrome refers to a complication that occurs between the L5 and S1 vertebrae when long-segment fixation (fusing five or more vertebrae with screws) is stopped at the L5 vertebra. This condition is not uncommon in such surgeries, poses significant treatment challenges, and is recognized as a difficult issue to resolve among spinal surgeons.

In their paper, Professor Dae-jin Cho’s team (Professors Ho-yong Choi and Seong-soo Bae) reported the incidence and risk factors for Adjacent Segment Syndrome occurring between the L5 and S1 vertebrae. The incidence rate was found to be 21%, with patient age, history of depression, and poor preoperative sagittal imbalance (degree of spinal curvature) identified as risk factors. Additionally, they presented the world’s first scientifically defined radiographic angle criteria for predicting distal Adjacent Segment Syndrome.

Professor Dae-jin Cho explained the study’s background: “Adult spinal deformity surgery often requires long-segment fixation, but distal Adjacent Segment Syndrome frequently arises as a complication. Although adding pelvic fixation can help avoid this complication, it significantly impairs everyday life and increases the likelihood of complications at the upper adjacent segment rather than at the distal end.”

Professor Dae-jin Cho explained the significance of the study: “Through our research, we identified risk factors that allow us to establish criteria for selecting patients who may not require pelvic fixation. This means that, for patients without these risk factors, avoiding pelvic fixation can reduce the risk of surgical complications and improve outcomes.”

Professor Dae-jin Cho is a leading expert in the field of spinal surgery, achieving remarkable results in both clinical practice and research. He was the first in the world to perform five-level anterior fusion on a patient with adult spinal deformity (kyphosis) and published the first paper on osteotomy and correction surgery for patients with tuberculous kyphosis (gibbous deformity). Additionally, he pioneered the use of sacral hooks in spinal deformity surgery and has consistently conducted research on spinal deformities and revision spinal surgeries.

He has served as the Chief of Surgery at Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong and currently holds the positions of Chief of Neurosurgery, Treasurer of the Korean Spinal Neurosurgery Society, Director of Academic Affairs and Chair of the Research Committee of the Korean Spinal Deformity Society. He is also active internationally as a Council Delegate and Member-at-Large for AO Spine in Korea. Additionally, he serves as an Advisory Committee Member for Research Planning at the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency (NECA), an Advisor to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA), and a member of the Health Insurance Professional Evaluation Committee under the Ministry of Health and Welfare.