OrthopaedicsSpinal Surgery

Spinal Surgery: Advances in Techniques & Technology for Excellent Patient Outcomes

Dr. Puneet Girdhar
Dr. Puneet Girdhar

Vice Chairman & Head - Ortho Spine, MIS & Robotic Spine Surgery

BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi

August 10, 2025

Dr. Puneet Girdhar, who has performed more than 16,000 spinal surgeries, explains how spine surgery has moved from open procedures to biportal endoscopy, now used in around 90 percent of cases at his centre.

Questions Doctors Asked Dr. Puneet Girdhar

Real questions from the live masterclass, answered by Dr. Puneet Girdhar, Vice Chairman & Head - Ortho Spine, MIS & Robotic Spine Surgery.

I wanted to share how Paulina has been doing since her surgery with you — honestly speaking, I was really impressed by her recovery time. She's come back to Ghana and she's always praising your team, and now I have even more patients lining up who also want to come and have a consultation, and possibly the surgery, after hearing about her experience.

Asked by Dr. Frank, referring physician, Ghana

We feel privileged to be treating your patient, and I hope we have done justice to you, your practice and of course the patient. I think at the end of the day we all have one common goal — we want to see our patients happy. Otherwise you, me and Jivo would not be here on a Sunday evening, leaving our families aside, if we did not have this goal.

— Dr. Puneet Girdhar

I'm also trying to go into orthopedic surgery myself, and I'm really happy learning more about it and seeing the advances in the surgery you're doing. Out of curiosity — how many of your own fellows go on to specialize in spine surgery after training under you?

Asked by Dr. Frank, referring physician, Ghana

I always joke about this with my orthopedic fellows. I've had an orthopedic training program for the last 13 or 14 years, and not even one of them has opted for spine surgery as a career — they're very happy doing a knee replacement, arthroscopy, or a fracture nail instead. Spine surgery has evolved so much that the moment they look into the scope, everything is very tiny, and that can be discouraging — it looks very uphill. It takes a little while to enter the system and understand what's going on through keyholes; one has to be patient, because it has a steep learning curve and the margin of error is not there. So for the last four years I've run a dedicated fellowship national training program for spine fellows — once they're selected and come to me, they don't have the option to go to any other theatre, because they're now committed to spine surgery for the rest of their life.

— Dr. Puneet Girdhar

Read the Full Article Series

  1. 1.Advances in Spinal Surgery: A Complete Guide
  2. 2.Biportal Endoscopic Spine Surgery: What It Is and How It Works
  3. 3.Cervical Disc Replacement: Treating Neck Disc Herniation While Preserving Motion
  4. 4.Growth Rods for Early-Onset Scoliosis in Young Children
  5. 5.Hemivertebra: Why Early Surgery Prevents Severe Spinal Deformity
  6. 6.Herniated Disc Surgery: Biportal Endoscopic Discectomy Explained
  7. 7.Kyphoplasty for Osteoporotic Spinal Fractures: A Same-Day Procedure
  8. 8.Lumbar Canal Stenosis: Symptoms and Modern Minimally Invasive Treatment
  9. 9.Minimally Invasive Spinal Fusion: Treating Spinal Instability Without Open Surgery
  10. 10.Minimally Invasive vs Open Spine Surgery: How Techniques Have Evolved
  11. 11.Navigation and Robotics in Spine Surgery: Why They Improve Accuracy and Safety
  12. 12.Prolonged Sitting and Disc Degeneration: Why Desk Jobs Are a Spine Risk
  13. 13.Recovery After Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: What Patients Can Expect
  14. 14.Robotic Spine Surgery for Complex and Revision Cases
  15. 15.Scoliosis and Kyphosis in Children: Types and Warning Signs
  16. 16.Scoliosis Treatment: When Observation, Bracing or Surgery Is Needed
  17. 17.Vertebral Column Resection: Correcting Severe Spinal Deformity From Neglected Tuberculosis
  18. 18.When to See a Spine Specialist: Warning Signs You Shouldn't Ignore

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