The Spine Journal, the official journal of the North American Spine Society, has published an article by current WSU MD students, alumni, and faculty. The article titled, Mind the Gap: Paramedian Approach for Coccygectomy is authored by the following:
Current Medical Students
- David Frolov, MS2
- Kai Zhu, MS2
- Maksim Rusev, MS4
Alumni
- Kyle Geiger, MD, Class of 2021
- Carson Fuller, MD, Class of 2022
Faculty
- Miguel Schmitz, MD
David Frolov, a second-year medical student at the College of Medicine, provided a synopsis of the research he and the team conducted:
Our research presents an alternative surgical method to minimize infections from coccygectomies. Coccygectomy is the surgical removal of the coccyx, which is often performed due to refractory coccydynia. The standard approach for a coccygectomy involves a midline incision cephalad to the anus along the gluteal cleft. Historically, this method has had high rates of infection.
To improve healing and decrease infection rate, we propose the paramedian approach to a coccygectomy. This approach has the benefit of distancing the surgical site from the anus, diminishing the crevice effect of the incision, and increasing the dermal and subdermal thickness for improved surgical closure. Our results show that the paramedian approach is an effective option when performing a coccygectomy.