Wooridul Spine Hospital
Encyclopedia
Wooridul Spine Hospital is the world's leading spine hospital for minimally invasive spinal surgery.
treatments meets or exceeds patients' expectation for minimal scars and fast recovery.
Wooridul Hospital manages directly each hospital in Seoul Gimpo Airport, Seoul Chungdam, Busan Onchun, Busan Dongrae and Daegu and has the most advanced medical technology using digitalized surgery equipment, non-surgical treatment and the rehabilitation treatment. Moreover, Wooridul opened Wooridul Spine Hospital in Shanghai, China and in Jakarta, Indonesia, will have expansion in Turkey, UAE and Spain as well as Jaeju Island soon.
Wooridul Hospital which opened a brand-new clinic at Gimpo International Airport
takes a roll to be a center of the ‘ShangSeTo Medical Belt’ among Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo to be a leader of medical service in Asia and to impart the advanced medical treatments and technologies of Korea all over the world. Based on the present achievements, Wooridul Hospital is emerging as the Neuro-Musculoskeletal Disease Center not only for the general spine disorders but also for the metastatic spine cancers (using 4th generation cyberknife) and the joint disorders (using computer assisted navigation).
Wooridul Hospital prefers the minimally invasive philosophy to save the normal tissues, which minimizes the excision reducing complications. With these untiring efforts, Wooridul Hospital provides ‘Spine Total Care System’ as a specialized general hospital which employs over 1,200 employees including 130 doctors.
using endoscopic laser. Minimally invasive spinal surgery is judged to be a great success in lumbar, cervical and thoracic treatment area.
According to the research result in 2002 from the 19 international spine specialized centers that perform minimally invasive spinal surgery, Wooridul Hospital has performed 8,000 cases and took the first ranking. The most common disease treated by minimally invasive spinal surgery is lumbar disc herniation. The soft lumbar disk herniation is defined as when the annulus fibrosis surrounding disc between the vertebral bodies is torn and the nucleus pulposus is herniated so that it could compress the nerve root and spinal cord. It could cause either back pain or leg pain.
The conventional open surgery is performed under the naked eye which requires a huge incision. Meanwhile Wooridul Hospital’s Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery (MISS), like as Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy (PELD), is not the conventional excision but a treatment which is between the conservative and open surgery. With the 0.6 cm of endoscope, the surgeon could observe the inside with safety. Patient is in prone position under the local anesthesia
so as to communicate with the surgeons and nurses. Microlaser is precise enough to make a 0.3mm spot between fingerprints. PELD preserves vertebrae and normal nucleus pulposus and removes only the lesional site so that there is no risk of evoking the neural adhesion. In addition, it is bloodless surgery and no transfusion is required. It saves the time and the costs. Due to rapid recovery compared to open surgeries, it is the preferred method for workers and students that desire an early return-to-work.
‘CT-image Guided Spinal Micro Therapy’, the newest injection therapy, is safe, fast and accurate, because of using the multidetector CT (MD-CT) and 3-dimensional multiple image system. Monitoring with the real-time computer navigation, medicine is inserted only into lesion exactly. Wooridul Hospital was the first to succeed in this therapy in Korea.
X-MRI is the World’s first system, which combines the interventional X-Ray and MRI that enables doctors to scan sectional views of the spine. With the aid of X-MRI, the proper surgical pathway can be decided through the MRI, and since the disc can be removed by endoscopic laser right after the decision, the success rate of minimally invasive treatment can be increased very high. Also the complication rate is very low since the result of the treatment can be checked before the completion of the treatment.
In January 2010, the hospital received “Top 10 International Hospitals for medical tourists” announced by Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA)
In November 2010, Seoul Wooridul Hospital became the first specialized hospital in Korea accredited by JCI(Joint Commission International).
To be certified by JCI, hospitals should receive same or more than 90 points in average for about 1,200 items, and as the result, Seoul Wooridul Hospital received a high mark of 99.7 points as average (99.7% completion).
For JCI Accreditation, Seoul Wooridul Hospital has initiated JCI Preparation Team in 2008 and worked their best to meet international standards from medical examination area to support areas including facilities, medical information and medicine teams.
JCI accreditation is evidence that the hospital provides the best medical services to patients in a safe environment by improving medical service up to the international standards.
Wooridul Hospital has improved the surgical and non-surgical treatment success rate and recovery period.
In order to reach for 99.9% success rate after treatment, at least 4~6 spinal surgeons constitute a team diagnosis and treatment system to care for each patient. Wooridul Hospital holds a Grand Tele-Conference every Friday morning and connects each of the regional Wooridul Hospital with live interaction sharing information. This interactive program provides real time exchange of up to date medical treatment and experience which improves patient care outcome.
Wooridul Hospital places as ‘The Number One Hospital for Spinal Disease’, by constantly developing new treatment methods, publishing and presenting them worldwide. This is a class academic achievement for the field of spine care as signified by publishing over 17 SCI journals per year. The Journal of Critical Spine Case (JCSC) published as a first issue in November 2008, specialized in spine care.
JCSC focuses on various cases of spinal disease that have not been easy to diagnose and treat, it will be published twice a year (May and November) and distributed to the best medical institutions at home and overseas, such as Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, UCLA Spine Center, and etc.
Since 1993, the hospital has educated 650 spine specialists from 60 countries about advanced treatments through conferences and training programs. It has also provided foreign doctors (from Japan, India, China, Egypt, Israel, Brazil, Singapore and others) with 6 months to 1 year fellowship program with the aim to spread the advanced spine treatments worldwide. Moreover, the hospital is spreading the advanced medical technology abroad through video-conference and live surgeries.
As a result, Wooridul Hospital was assigned as the international training center of minimally invasive surgery by the International Musculoskeletal Laser Society (IMLAS) and International Society for Minimal Intervention in Spinal Surgery (ISMISS).
The hospital has exported not only medical technique but also medical equipment to advanced countries. For instance, Ito Hospital in Japan recently opened MISS center after receiving the advanced medical technologies and equipment from Wooridul Hospital.
Wooridul Hospital established ‘Wooridul International Patients Center (WIPC)’ to provide a better medical service to foreign patients which assist the patient during their visit. WIPC provides consultation and agency business to foreign patients in four different languages, English, Japanese, Chinese and French.
Incomparable Pioneer
Wooridul Hospital established in Busan in 1982, has been trying to be the world's leading spine hospital with the state of the art equipment and technology. Based upon minimally invasive treatment principle, Wooridul Hospital has investigated and developed various spineSpine
-Medicine:*Vertebral column, commonly known as the backbone or spine, so named for its spinous processes**Lumbar puncture, a colloquial term for which is a spinal tap**Spinal anaesthesia, a type of regional anaesthetic...
treatments meets or exceeds patients' expectation for minimal scars and fast recovery.
Wooridul Hospital manages directly each hospital in Seoul Gimpo Airport, Seoul Chungdam, Busan Onchun, Busan Dongrae and Daegu and has the most advanced medical technology using digitalized surgery equipment, non-surgical treatment and the rehabilitation treatment. Moreover, Wooridul opened Wooridul Spine Hospital in Shanghai, China and in Jakarta, Indonesia, will have expansion in Turkey, UAE and Spain as well as Jaeju Island soon.
Wooridul Hospital which opened a brand-new clinic at Gimpo International Airport
Gimpo International Airport
Gimpo International Airport , commonly known as Gimpo Airport , is located in the far western end of Seoul and was the main international airport for Seoul and South Korea before it was replaced by Incheon International Airport in 2001...
takes a roll to be a center of the ‘ShangSeTo Medical Belt’ among Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo to be a leader of medical service in Asia and to impart the advanced medical treatments and technologies of Korea all over the world. Based on the present achievements, Wooridul Hospital is emerging as the Neuro-Musculoskeletal Disease Center not only for the general spine disorders but also for the metastatic spine cancers (using 4th generation cyberknife) and the joint disorders (using computer assisted navigation).
Wooridul Hospital prefers the minimally invasive philosophy to save the normal tissues, which minimizes the excision reducing complications. With these untiring efforts, Wooridul Hospital provides ‘Spine Total Care System’ as a specialized general hospital which employs over 1,200 employees including 130 doctors.
The World Best Hospital of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Wooridul Hospital drew public attention by developing the world’s first discectomyDiscectomy
A Discectomy is the surgical removal of herniated disc material that presses on a nerve root or the spinal cord. The procedure involves removing the central portion of an intervertebral disc, the nucleus pulposus, which causes pain by stressing the spinal cord or radiating nerves...
using endoscopic laser. Minimally invasive spinal surgery is judged to be a great success in lumbar, cervical and thoracic treatment area.
According to the research result in 2002 from the 19 international spine specialized centers that perform minimally invasive spinal surgery, Wooridul Hospital has performed 8,000 cases and took the first ranking. The most common disease treated by minimally invasive spinal surgery is lumbar disc herniation. The soft lumbar disk herniation is defined as when the annulus fibrosis surrounding disc between the vertebral bodies is torn and the nucleus pulposus is herniated so that it could compress the nerve root and spinal cord. It could cause either back pain or leg pain.
The conventional open surgery is performed under the naked eye which requires a huge incision. Meanwhile Wooridul Hospital’s Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery (MISS), like as Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy (PELD), is not the conventional excision but a treatment which is between the conservative and open surgery. With the 0.6 cm of endoscope, the surgeon could observe the inside with safety. Patient is in prone position under the local anesthesia
Anesthesia
Anesthesia, or anaesthesia , traditionally meant the condition of having sensation blocked or temporarily taken away...
so as to communicate with the surgeons and nurses. Microlaser is precise enough to make a 0.3mm spot between fingerprints. PELD preserves vertebrae and normal nucleus pulposus and removes only the lesional site so that there is no risk of evoking the neural adhesion. In addition, it is bloodless surgery and no transfusion is required. It saves the time and the costs. Due to rapid recovery compared to open surgeries, it is the preferred method for workers and students that desire an early return-to-work.
Non-Surgical Treatment
Wooridul Hospital also has developed the new treatments for spine disorders without surgery.‘CT-image Guided Spinal Micro Therapy’, the newest injection therapy, is safe, fast and accurate, because of using the multidetector CT (MD-CT) and 3-dimensional multiple image system. Monitoring with the real-time computer navigation, medicine is inserted only into lesion exactly. Wooridul Hospital was the first to succeed in this therapy in Korea.
X-MRI is the World’s first system, which combines the interventional X-Ray and MRI that enables doctors to scan sectional views of the spine. With the aid of X-MRI, the proper surgical pathway can be decided through the MRI, and since the disc can be removed by endoscopic laser right after the decision, the success rate of minimally invasive treatment can be increased very high. Also the complication rate is very low since the result of the treatment can be checked before the completion of the treatment.
Awards
Wooridul Hospital was selected as the “World Best International Hospital” from Medical Tourism Association (MTA) in 2008.In January 2010, the hospital received “Top 10 International Hospitals for medical tourists” announced by Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA)
In November 2010, Seoul Wooridul Hospital became the first specialized hospital in Korea accredited by JCI(Joint Commission International).
To be certified by JCI, hospitals should receive same or more than 90 points in average for about 1,200 items, and as the result, Seoul Wooridul Hospital received a high mark of 99.7 points as average (99.7% completion).
For JCI Accreditation, Seoul Wooridul Hospital has initiated JCI Preparation Team in 2008 and worked their best to meet international standards from medical examination area to support areas including facilities, medical information and medicine teams.
JCI accreditation is evidence that the hospital provides the best medical services to patients in a safe environment by improving medical service up to the international standards.
Team Diagnosis and Team Surgery System
Because of continuous investment in advamced eruipment and 5 complete diagnostic steps,Wooridul Hospital has improved the surgical and non-surgical treatment success rate and recovery period.
In order to reach for 99.9% success rate after treatment, at least 4~6 spinal surgeons constitute a team diagnosis and treatment system to care for each patient. Wooridul Hospital holds a Grand Tele-Conference every Friday morning and connects each of the regional Wooridul Hospital with live interaction sharing information. This interactive program provides real time exchange of up to date medical treatment and experience which improves patient care outcome.
Constant Scientific and Clinical Efforts
Wooridul Spine Hospital has performed million cases of clinic and research, and this great store of experiences and trials makes the accurate diagnosis and the finest treatment. Generally, journals demonstrate that these clinical experiences and trials are well organized and analyzed.Wooridul Hospital places as ‘The Number One Hospital for Spinal Disease’, by constantly developing new treatment methods, publishing and presenting them worldwide. This is a class academic achievement for the field of spine care as signified by publishing over 17 SCI journals per year. The Journal of Critical Spine Case (JCSC) published as a first issue in November 2008, specialized in spine care.
JCSC focuses on various cases of spinal disease that have not been easy to diagnose and treat, it will be published twice a year (May and November) and distributed to the best medical institutions at home and overseas, such as Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, UCLA Spine Center, and etc.
Sharing Treatments and Knowledge with World
Wooridul Hospital has instructed foreign spinal surgeons around the world, such as USA, Europe and etc, in the latest medical treatments through invited lectures and seminars.Since 1993, the hospital has educated 650 spine specialists from 60 countries about advanced treatments through conferences and training programs. It has also provided foreign doctors (from Japan, India, China, Egypt, Israel, Brazil, Singapore and others) with 6 months to 1 year fellowship program with the aim to spread the advanced spine treatments worldwide. Moreover, the hospital is spreading the advanced medical technology abroad through video-conference and live surgeries.
As a result, Wooridul Hospital was assigned as the international training center of minimally invasive surgery by the International Musculoskeletal Laser Society (IMLAS) and International Society for Minimal Intervention in Spinal Surgery (ISMISS).
The hospital has exported not only medical technique but also medical equipment to advanced countries. For instance, Ito Hospital in Japan recently opened MISS center after receiving the advanced medical technologies and equipment from Wooridul Hospital.
A Special Service for Foreign Patients
There has been incessant inflow of foreign patients with spinal diseases from all over the world to Wooridul Hospital. Patients form USA, Canada, China, Japan, France, England, Brazil and etc visited Korea and underwent treatments and went back to their countries with great satisfaction. 1017 foreign patients from 56 various countries have visited our hospital in 2008 and about half of these patients were reported to have made their decision upon the recommendations of the other patients and doctors who have visited Wooridul Hospital previously.Wooridul Hospital established ‘Wooridul International Patients Center (WIPC)’ to provide a better medical service to foreign patients which assist the patient during their visit. WIPC provides consultation and agency business to foreign patients in four different languages, English, Japanese, Chinese and French.