Because of his outstanding achievements in the field of Artificial Cervical Disc Replacement (ACDR), Professor Liu Hao from the Orthopedics Department of West China Hospital was invited by the Medical Demonstration Center in Medical Education & Research Center Memphis (MERI) to the United States to teach ACDR-related technologies and share surgical experience from September 25 to 26, 2017.

ACDR is the latest technique of cervical spine surgery in recent years. The difficulty lies in how to completely relieve the compression from spinal cord and nerve roots and make the inserted artificial disc maximize the stability and activity of normal disc. Professor Liu Hao has his own unique researches and solutions in artificial disc insertion procedures, cervical axis balance, reducing heterotopic ossification and the combination of prosthesis and bone interface. MERI is a well-known spine surgery training center in the United States. The Center is usually the first to utilize the most advanced spinal surgery techniques to train doctors in the United States.  Professor Liu Hao’s lectures in the US meant that ACDR technology in West China Hospital has been recognized by international peers.

As one of the pioneers of ACDR surgery in China, Professor Liu Hao has successfully completed 651 Prestige-LP ACDR operations so far, ranking the first in the world in terms of operation volume. In addition, Professor Liu Hao led the research and development of Pretic-I, the first Chinese-made artificial cervical disc. The artificial cervical disc has completely independent intellectual property rights. It also has completed clinical trials which showed the indicators fully meet the standards of similar foreign products.