07h00 – 08h30

Registration

07h50 – 08h00

Welcome and introduction - President of SASS - Prof Ian Vlok

08h00 – 08h15

Optimising safety in theatre - Prof Robert Dunn

08h15 – 08h30

Neurophysiological monitoring - when and how - Mr Darren Lui

08h30 – 08h45

Spinal GPS - the role of spinal navigation - Dr Willem Strydom

08h45 – 08h55

Discussion

08h55 – 09h10

Rational pre-operative patient workup in my practice - Dr Adrian Swan

Inpatient peri-operative care - is this within the spine surgeon’s competency? - Dr Ramanare Magampa

09h25 – 09h40

Irradiation, the patient and the spine surgeon - "buy now, pay later" - Mr Darren Lui

Scoliosis surgery, post-operative pain-management strategies - Dr Vishaad Naidoo

09h50 – 10h00

Discussion

Lumbar degenerative surgery: my experience with over 2000 anterior and lateral cases focusing on complications, lessons learnt and how my practice has evolved with navigation and patient specific implants - Dr Marc Coughlan

10h40 – 10h50

Spine surgery during pregnancy - Dr Zakhele Khoza

10h50 – 11h00

Discussion

11h00 – 11h15

TESSYS 101 - Dr Willem Strydom

11h15 – 11h30

UBE: 8 Core concepts - Dr Nadir Yacine Benmebarek

11h30 – 11h40

Discussion

11h40 – 11h55

The role of a mentor - Dr Sailesh Ragoo

11h55 – 12h05

Discussion

Debate: TLIF should be performed endoscopically:

12h05 – 12h20

For - Prof Jwo-Luen Pao

12h20 – 12h35

Against - Dr Ian Zondagh

12h35 – 12h45

Discussion

13h00 – 13h45

SASS Lunchtime Sponsored Registrar Session 1 (Meeting Room 11)- Coordinators
Dr’s Brad Harrington & Marcus van Heukelum

Join us for an Interactive, High-Yield Teaching Session Tailored for Registrars:
Whether you're prepping for exams or want to sharpen your practical spine knowledge, this session is for you.

Front-back lumbar interbody fusion with unilateral biportal endoscopic decompression. Early experience and review of early post-operative results- Dr Reggie King

Unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy versus microdiscectomy a retrospective analysis of the outcomes and complications in lumbar pathology treated by either modality - Dr Elsje-Marie Geldenhuys

My experience utilising patient specific implants over the past decade and advantages of utilising preoperative virtual surgical planning and patient specific implants
- Dr Marc Coughlan

Functional outcomes of patients with isolated l5/s1 pathology treated by either open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion or endoscopic assisted transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: Retrospective Analysis - Dr Reggie King

14h40 – 14h50

Discussion

14h50 – 15h05

Future of Robotic in spinal surgery - Dr Jesús Lafuente

Large language model use in spine surgery – predicting surgical procedures and outcomes - Dr Ibrahim Obeid

15h20 – 15h30

Discussion

16h00 – 17h00

Open to all SASS Members

07h00 - 08h30

Registration

Anterior lumbar interbody fusion vs transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion – a retrospective review of outcomes achieved in patients with isolated L5/S1 pathology - Dr Reggie King

08h10 – 08h15

Discussion

08h15 – 08h30

Challenge of cervicothoracic kyphosis - Dr Ibrahim Obeid

08h30 – 08h50

Spine surgery in the geriatric patient - compromise for life - Dr Nicholas Kruger

Surgical strategies and When to go to thoracic spine in degenerative lumbar scoliosis - Dr Jesús Lafuente

09h10 – 09h20

Discussion

09h20 – 09h35

Low grade spondylolisthesis - Dr Slade Vermaak

09h35 – 09h50

High grade spondylolisthesis - Dr Ibrahim Obeid

09h50 – 10h00

Discussion

The early management of acute spinal cord injury – contemporary concepts and future directions - Dr Brian Kwon

11h15 – 11h30

Discussion

11h30 – 11h45

Spinal injuries in sportsman and return to play - Dr Johan Davis

11h45 – 12h00

SCI care bundles - Dr Juliette Stander

Rethinking the post operative protocol following anterior cervical surgery, outcomes from a tertiary orthopaedic spinal unit? - Dr Marcus van Heukelum

12h10 – 12h30

Challenges facing the last dedicated acute spinal cord injury unit in Africa - Dr Nicholas Kruger

12h30 – 12h45

Discussion

SASS Lunchtime Sponsored Registrar Session 2 (Meeting Room 11) - Coordinators – Dr’s Brad Harrington and Marcus van Heukelum

Join us for an Interactive, High-Yield Teaching Session Tailored for Registrars:
Whether you're prepping for exams or want to sharpen your practical spine knowledge, this session is for you.

14h00 – 14h15

Predicting survival in oncology patients - Mr Darren Lui

14h15 – 14h25

Sacroplasty – Making the procedure more palatable - Dr Roger Smith

14h25 – 14h40

Radiofrequency ablation for pain and tumours - Mr Darren Lui

14h40 – 14h55

Myeloma and the spine surgeon - Dr Stefan Kruger

Management of Spinal Lipomas: Retrospective Analysis from a Single Neurosurgery Centre in KwaZulu-Natal - Dr Buyani Buthelezi

15h05 – 15h20

Separation surgery - Mr Darren Lui

15h20 – 15h30

Discussion

16h00 – 16h15

Optimising spine surgery in LMIC - Dr Jesús Lafuente

16h15 – 16h25

Discussion

16h25 – 16h30

Introduction - Prof Robert Dunn

16h30 – 17h15

Training SA spine surgeons - deficiencies and solutions - Prof Ian Vlok

07h00 - 08h30

Registration

08h30 – 08h55

Why I know less about myelopathy now than when I started - Prof Robert Dunn

08h55 – 09h15

Management of cervical myelopathy - when, why what - Dr Hans Snyckers

09h15 – 09h25

Discussion

09h25 – 09h35

Interactive case discussion - thoracic myelopathy - Prof Robert Dunn

09h35 – 09h50

TB paraplegia - management classification - Dr Sanesh Miseer

Evolution of TB spine surgery in the Paediatric patient - a single centre review - Dr Hammaad Gamieldien

10h00 – 10h10

Discussion

Kahoot! Quiz to crown the Prince(ss) of Spine Surgery 2025 - Professors Robert Dunn & Ian Vlok

11h00 – 11h10

Value based health care in spinal surgery: South African Context - Dr Paseka Seroto

11h10 – 11h15

Discussion

11h15 – 11h35

Managing the "joint minute" - MacRobert

11h35 – 11h45

Discussion

Learn from the courts: 3 legal cases to be discussed with clinical and legal input - Prof Robert Dunn / MacRobert

12h30 – 13h30

Ethics of disclosing adverse events and errors in healthcare - Dr Marietjie Botes