IITS News

Dr. Anthony Yeung, DISC Orthopedic Spine Surgeon and the Executive Director for the International Intradiscal Therapy Society (IITS), announced his retirement in an official statement on the IITS website. Below is an excerpt from the announcement. “2019 was time for me to finally stop operating (at age 78) to focus my time on publishing my extensive experience of over 11,000 cases since 1991. I became very comfortable that my legacy will be carried on my son Chris Yeung and his team of fellowship trained spine surgeons with similar interest and in house training in MIS spine at our ASC, Squaw Peak Surgical Facility. The DISC team put together by Chris Yeung provides a wide spectrum of spine surgery options based on what is best for their patients Using training in open MIS spine surgery and endoscopic spine surgery. It was time to finally officially retire.”

From the desk of Anthony Yeung, MD Executive Director of IITS

---

I have witnessed the exponential acceleration of interest in endoscopic spine surgery in the past two years, from 2017-2018, especially in Asia. Tremendous interest and growth now comes from China, where Chinese President Xi’s directed economic reform has produced visible changes not only in news reports about their military presence, but in Health Care Reform. I have also personally experienced, and witnessed the changes and directives in spine care in my recent travels to China as an invited keynote speaker, stimulating more surgeon visits that I can accommodate. Chinese minimally invasive surgical organizations, Chinese medical associations, and now even Chinese traditional medicine have embraced endoscopic surgery for their members. My concern is that interest should be accompanied by appropriate training in the United States. China is different than the West where Key Healthcare opinion leaders and Political leaders are more focused on volume and have their own requirements for training. China has a universal health care system where almost all providers are employed by Nationally ranked health care entities that filter down to regional and local facilities. More private practice hospitals are being developed. Their training centers are much different than in the West. […] I report on my activities this year, along with pictures that chronicle interesting geographic, tourist, and historic sites in Asia. I encourage those interested to visit iits.org for updated material. To read the Full 2018 December Report, please visit iits.org.