September 6, 2020: The University Hospital of Sharjah (UHS), one of the leading hospitals in the GCC region, is being lauded for its recent discovery of a new surgical instrument and procedure for minimal invasive spine endoscopic surgery with less than one-centimeter incision. The discovery was made public through the publication of research papers written by Dr. Seungkook Kim, Consultant Spine Surgeon at Himchan – UHS Joint and Spine Center located at UHS. The achievement demonstrates the hospital’s commitment towards delivering groundbreaking medical services and treatments.

Dr. Kim's findings were published across four medical journals--SCI(E) journals, Brain Sciences, Acta Neurochirurgica and World Neurosurgery. Dr. Kim’s paper, titled ‘Novel instruments for percutaneous bi-portal endoscopic spine surgery for full endoscopic decompression and dural management: A comparative analysis’ discussed the latest spine endoscopic surgical procedure that is specially designed for Arab patients. This medical technique is developed to maximize patient satisfaction post-surgery by providing endoscopic spine procedures with less than 1-cm incision and preserving the tissues surrounding the target area.   

Dr. Kim, a highly experienced surgeon with Korean Board Certification in neurosurgery, is part of the Korean medical team that has been delivering high-quality Korean medical services to patients of the Himchan-UHS Joint and Spine Center. Operating since November 2018, the center is the result of the collaboration and coordination between UHS and Himchan Hospital.      

Dr. Ali Obaid Al Ali, UHS Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Trustees, said: “The UHS has been continuously investing in its collaboration with Himchan to improve the quality of life of our local and international patients. The minimally invasive procedure is especially critical given that spine surgery is considered one of the top progressive tertiary healthcare challenges today.”

The latest publication of Dr. Kim’s paper on this area reflects that the medical community has taken notice of the technique’s innovativeness. Further, World Neurosurgery published another of Dr. Kim’s papers titled ‘Endoscopy-Assisted Diagnosis and Revision of a Malpositioned Screw.’ Using patient data, it demonstrated how misplaced pedicles from pedicle screw insertion can be correctly identified and surgically readjusted without open surgery.

The doctor also led two collaboration studies with co-authors from university hospitals in South Korea. Their papers have suggested ways to improve patient satisfaction and management plans for unexpected situations during surgical operations and procedures.  These are titled ‘Pooled analysis of unsuccessful percutaneous bi-portal endoscopic surgery outcomes from a multi-institutional retrospective cohort of 797 cases’ and ‘Dural Tears in Percutaneous Bi-portal Endoscopic Spine Surgery: Anatomical Location and Management.’