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How can we determine whether spinal surgery has truly been successful? Not just from the perspective of the treatment team, but from the patients’ perspective? A patient questionnaire was developed at the Schulthess Klinik precisely for this purpose. For two decades, the so-called COMI-back has been helping to reveal how patients are really faring after surgery on the lumbar spine.

With effect from 1. September 2026, Prof. Dr. Christian Egloff will take up the post of Head of Knee Surgery, succeeding Dr. Stefan Preiss, who has led the Knee Surgery department since 2008.

The more an artificial intelligence learns, the better it can support doctors. To do this, it requires large amounts of data. But how can this be reconciled with the protection of sensitive patient data? A study led by the Schulthess Clinic shows how several hospitals can train AI models together without exchanging sensitive data. 

It is often difficult to detect a wound infection early on following spinal surgery. Researchers at the Schulthess Klinik and the AO Research Institute Davos have now discovered characteristic changes in the immune system that indicate an infection at an early stage. These findings will help to better identify wound infections following surgery and thus avoid unnecessary follow-up procedures.

Two specialist books from Schulthess Klinik were published in May: Prof. Dr. med. Markus Scheibel, Head of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, and Dr. biol. hum. Fabio Galbusera, Head of the Spine Research Group, have each published a new reference work.

Schulthess Klinik can look back on a successful 2025 with further consolidation of its position as a leading international specialist hospital. 

What should be done if a herniated disc recurs? A new study shows that the same operation is not right for everyone.

Since January 2026, Prof. Dr. med. univ. Philipp Moroder has been the new Deputy Head of our Shoulder and Elbow Surgery department.

Twenty years ago, Dr. med. Hans-Kaspar Schwyzer began systematically documenting shoulder prosthesis surgeries at the Schulthess Klinik. Thousands of cases later, this amount of data now provides unique insights for research and treatment. Together with his successor, Prof. Dr. med. Markus Scheibel, who now continues the project with his team, Hans-Kaspar Schwyzer reflects in this interview on the early days, the development, and the years of collaboration.

Our Head of Spinal Surgery, PD Dr Tamás Fekete, has been elected to the Advisory Board of the Swiss Scoliosis Association. He succeeds Prof. Dr. Dezsö Jeszenszky. The former Head of Spinal Surgery at the Schulthess Klinik was a co-founder of the association.