100 Moments

10:10 10.10: Anatomy of a Moment

Cleveland Clinic London Hospital

London
3:10 p.m. British Summer Time

Not every surgery begins with a scalpel. This one starts with a marker. Like an artist in his studio contemplating a blank canvas, Vittorio Russo, MD, is poised to draw a precise line. 

It’s the middle of the afternoon at Cleveland Clinic London. Members of the surgical team take their places in an operating theater. The anesthesiologist monitors vital signs. A nurse organizes instruments. The radiographer prepares to take an X-ray. 

For years, implants held together the vertebrae in the patient’s neck. But time and wear have taken a toll, compressing her spinal cord. Over the next four hours, Dr. Russo will remove the old implants, decompress the spinal cord and secure the vertebrae with new hardware.

His own journey up to this point has been somewhat curvilinear. Trained in neurosurgery and orthopedics, Dr. Russo honed his skills around the globe, from Italy (where he was raised) to the United States to the United Kingdom. “At Cleveland Clinic London, we’re in a unique position to safely perform complex spinal surgery,” he says. “We also do many complex operations jointly with different specialties.” 

Supported by a soft head ring, the patient lies face up. Dr. Russo carefully studies the landscape of her neck, visualizing the path ahead. Then, with marker in hand, he draws the line that will guide his incision. Where anatomy meets artistry, healing can begin.

Photograph by Martine Lund