As medicine develops quickly nowadays, Taishan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been consistent in adhering to the professionalism of pursuing excellence and spending efforts to construct its Spine Surgery Specialty into a provincial key specialty, reaching a higher level in this field. In order to broaden the international perspective and learn from the wisdom of cutting-edge diagnosis and treatment, Taishan Hospital of TCM, jointly with the outstanding team from Gloryren, successfully held the meaningful "Sino-German Video Conference on Spine Surgery" on March 19, 2025 with full preparation.

The conference specially invited Prof. Rauschmann, Head of Department of Spine and Reconstructive Orthopedic Surgery of Sana Klinikum Offenbach and former President of German Spine Society (DWG) in 2015, a well-known German expert in Spine Surgery, to attend online and share the top international expertise and clinical experience in real time across geographical boundaries, bringing a feast of knowledge to the attendees. Meanwhile, the orthopaedic teams of Jiangmen Central Hospital, Jiangmen Wuyi Hospital of TCM, Xinhui Hospital of TCM, Taishan People's Hospital and other sister hospitals participated in this event. Numerous spine experts gathered together to conduct in-depth discussions and exchanges around the cutting-edge technology of spine surgery, diagnosis and treatment of complex cases, etc. The exchange of ideas sparked inspiring insights, driving forward the advancement of regional spine surgery diagnosis and treatment hand in hand.

In order to promote academic exchanges and technical innovation of spine surgery, Taishan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) successfully held the Sino-German Video Conference on Spine Surgery on March 19, 2025.Prof. Rauschmann, Head of Department of Spine and Reconstructive Orthopedic Surgery of Sana Klinikum Offenbach and former President of German Spine Society (DWG) in 2015, was specially invited to the conference online. The conference was moderated by Prof. XIE Jun'en, Director of the Department of Orthopedics I of Taishan Hospital of TCM, and attracted many directors, surgeons and postgraduate students from Jiangmen Central Hospital, Jiangmen Wuyi Hospital of TCM, Xinhui Hospital of TCM and Taishan People's Hospital to attend on site. As the beginning of the conference, President YANG Dongliang of Taishan Hospital of TCM addressed a welcome speech, introducing achievements in clinical work, scientific research and academic exchanges of the hospital and the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology to Prof. Rauschmann. Prof. Yang appreciated that this video conference has provided a precious communication platform for the development of spine surgery of Jiangmen City and will benefit the cooperation between China and Germany and the advancement of both sides in this field. Following that, Prof. Rauschmann delivered a lecture entitled "Tips and Tricks in Revision Spine Surgery of Complex Spine Cases", providing in-depth and comprehensive key information of revision spine surgery for complications arising from minimally invasive techniques, internal fixation, artificial disc replacement, infections, etc. illustrated through numerous cases. He also shared the experience of failure in previous revision surgery to remind the Chinese colleagues of the details often overseen when making surgical plans. Dr. FU Zhaozong, Deputy Director of the Department of Spine Surgery of Jiangmen Central Hospital, had once visited the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Bologna, Italy as a fellow. During the conference, Dr. Fu shared a case fluently in Chinese and English. The patient had undergone two vertebroplasty before being admitted to Jiangmen Central Hospital. After a series of examination, she was diagnosed with spine metastasis. Dr. Fu and his team then performed tumor resection, decompression and internal fixation accordingly. The patient had a good outcome. In the discussion session, directors of different hospitals actively raised questions and had thorough discussions on the new spinous process cage, selection of bone implants, whether to fix fractured vertebrae, the number of segments for fixation after osteoporotic fractures, and so on. Prof. Rauschmann solved the questions of the colleagues and shared first-hand experience in clinical practice. At the conclusion of the conference, President YANG Dongliang of Taishan Hospital of TCM expressed heartfelt thanks to Prof. Rauschmann for his wonderful sharing, and hoped for more in-depth collaboration and exchanges with more international experts in the future. The successful Sino-German Video Conference of Spine Surgery has built a high-level international academic exchange platform for Taishan Hospital of TCM. The team will continue to promote specialty construction to a higher level in order to provide better and further efficient healthcare for patients, benefiting Taishan City as a "hometown of overseas Chinese".

1. Gathering of Experts for a Great Conference

Welcome Speech

At the beginning of the conference, President YANG Dongliang of Taishan Hospital of TCM extended a warm welcome to all attendees. He then elaborated on the recent advancements of the Department of Orthopedics of the hospital, including technological breakthroughs and talent cultivation. Additionally, he shared the hospital's future plans, setting a practical and inspiring tone for the conference.

Academic Lecture

Following this, Prof. Rauschmann delivered an insightful lecture titled "Tips and Tricks in Revision Spine Surgery of Complex Spine Cases". He shared the latest research findings and clinical experiences from Germany in the field of spine surgery, providing detailed content and novel perspectives that greatly benefited the attendees.

President YANG noticed that Prof. Rauschmann mentioned a spinous process cage for internal fixation multiple times during his lecture. Prof. Rauschmann explained that this kind of spinous process cage is a newly developed implant with four additional wings for the fixation on both sides of the spinous processes. To date, none of the patients in whom Prof. Rauschmann has used the spinous process cage for internal fixation have experienced complications such as cage loosening. His team is currently conducting a meta-analysis and retrospective study on the intraoperative application of this cage, and a related paper on its efficacy will be published soon.

Case Reports

Dr. FU Zhaozong, Deputy Director of the Department of Spine Surgery at Jiangmen Central Hospital, and Dr. XIE Jun'en, Director of the Department of Orthopedics I at Taishan Hospital of TCM, presented case reports, sharing valuable clinical experiences.

2. Dynamic Exchanges and Academic Insights

During the case discussion session, Prof. Rauschmann engaged in in-depth discussions with orthopedic experts from the Wuyi region on complex spine cases. Experts from both sides expressed their views openly, fostering a lively and academically rich atmosphere. Through case sharing and discussions, attendees gained deeper insights into the diagnosis and treatment of spinal diseases, providing new perspectives and directions for future clinical practice.

3. Collaborative Progress for a Shared Future

The successful organization of this Sino-German Video Conference on Spine Surgery has established a high-level international academic exchange platform for the Spine Surgery Department of Taishan Hospital of TCM, playing a significant role in enhancing the hospital's spine surgery diagnosis and treatment capabilities and promoting specialty development. Moving forward, Taishan Hospital of TCM will continue to strengthen collaborations and exchanges with renowned domestic and international medical institutions and experts, consistently advancing medical technology and healthcare service to provide high-quality and efficient healthcare for the public.