My name is Julian Zuluaga, and I have spent the last 11 years specializing in complex spinal surgery. I received my training at the Roosevelt Children’s Orthopedic Institute in Bogotá and at the J. P. Garrahan in Buenos Aires (Argentina), both of which treat numerous complex cases of spinal deformities, and I have participated in approximately 250 scoliosis surgeries.
Over the past 7 years, I have performed approximately 40 scoliosis surgeries per year, with satisfactory results. To date, there have been no complications, thanks to the use of specialized equipment such as neurophysiological monitoring, which allows for real-time monitoring of the spinal cord during surgery, thereby preventing injury.
Additionally, I am adopting advanced techniques for spinal surgery such as ALIF (Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion) and XLIF (Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion)—minimally invasive techniques (approaches involving small incisions in the abdomen) and percutaneous fixations (small incisions in the back), and endoscopic spine surgery (surgery using cameras and very small incisions). These techniques aim to cause less damage to the normal structures of the spine and thereby reduce postoperative pain, bleeding, the risk of postoperative infection, and consequently the patient’s hospital stay; I am currently undergoing training in spinal endoscopy, with the goal of continuing the minimally invasive surgical approach that has been adopted over the past 5 years.
