Neurosurgeons agree: Luigi Mangione’s back surgery was botched
Key Takeaways
Was botched back surgery the root cause of last week’s assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson? Some doctors seem to think so.
Top neurosurgeons are sharing insights on Instagram about what they see as a poorly chosen or mishandled back surgery to treat Mangione’s suspected case of spondylolisthesis, based on the X-ray image Mangione posted to social media.
The media has reported on Mangione’s manifesto railing against the US healthcare industry, suggesting that back pain, insurance disputes, and the psychological effects of chronic illness served as primary motives of the killing.
Related: Mangione Isn't alone. I feel desperate with the same condition.Did his surgeon make the wrong decision?
In a video, neurosurgeon Besty Grunch, MD, (@ladyspinedoc) says Mangione’s surgery “wouldn’t be my approach of choice,” noting that, as an athlete, he likely suffered from spondylolisthesis that eventually necessitated surgery to fix his spinal misalignment.
“Although this [is] an oblique X-ray, I can tell it was done by an all posterior approach, with the type of cage that does not restore correction or curvature of the spine, and he didn't get reduction back of his malalignment,” Dr. Grunch says in the video. “That wouldn't be my approach of choice in this case.”
Instead, she suggests treatment for Mangione’s condition “is typically done by an anterior and posterior approach, that means two surgeries to best anatomically correct the spine. [This is] in my opinion, the best surgery for this type of problem in a young patient.”
Hardware issues
Neurosurgeon Jay Jagannathan, MD, (@jagannathanneurosurgery) believes Mangione’s surgeon used Globus Medical’s CREO stabilization system, saying, “I’m a big fan of the Globus system, [but] in this particular case, it seems that the s1 screws seem to be long.”
Another neurosurgeon, Dr. Z on Instagram (@dr.z_neurosurgery) shares Dr. Jagannathan’s confusion with the hardware positioning. “We need better X-rays to evaluate the true placement of these screws, because this is not the most ideal placement of this hardware into this patient’s spine,” he says in the video.
A comment on Dr. Z’s video brings up an interesting point sure to be on many doctor’s minds: “Why take down the insurer for a bad surgery? Wouldn’t he be more upset with the surgeon?” (@naked_sp_v)
Related: Did chronic pain and medical neglect fuel the UHC CEO murder?