DRAGOS APOSTU MD

With over 7 years of experience in orthopedics, Dr. Dragoș Apostu is a renowned specialist and academic at the prestigious "Iuliu Hațieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy and Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca. Committed to excellence in the treatment of orthopedic conditions, Dr. Apostu performs over 370 innovative surgical procedures annually, including hip and knee arthroplasties, arthroscopic reconstructions of the anterior cruciate ligament, arthroscopic meniscus sutures, and minimally invasive approaches to hallux valgus, among others. With remarkable international training stages in Dubai and Barcelona, under the guidance of professors Tarabichi Samih and Xavier Martin Oliva, Dr. Apostu is a pioneer in introducing advanced surgical techniques in the region, including posterior tibial tendoscopy, surgical treatment of flatfoot through tendinous transfer in adults, treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease in adults, short extensor transfer of the toe in Freiberg's disease, lateral ankle stabilization with Internal Brace, Weil osteotomies, treatment of congenital varus equinus foot in adults, as well as new national approaches consisting of the surgical treatment of hallux valgus through the DROMO - Endolog technique.

Organizer of the annual regional conference on ankle and foot pathology, Dr. Apostu is also the recipient of over 19 national and regional awards and the author of two specialized books. Graduating with a doctoral degree in 2019 with "Summa cum laude" distinction, he is a prolific author with over 55 specialized articles and a respected instructor at numerous academic events.

Postgraduate courses and training abroad:

• Training stage in ankle and foot surgery (Barcelona, Prof. Xavier Martin Oliva)
• Training stage in total knee arthroplasty – Prof. Dr. Samih Tarabichi - Burjeel Hospital for Advanced Surgery, Dubai (United Arab Emirates).
• Training stage in minimally invasive hip arthroplasty – Prof. Dr. Filippo Randelli - IRCCS Policlinico San Donato [ 20/11/2017 – 22/11/2017, Milan (Italy).
• Invited lecturer at 6 specialized courses and congresses.

Participation in over 50 courses and congresses, among the most representative are:

• 2020: Total knee arthroplasty – primary and revision (Stolzalpe, Austria);
• 2019: Congress of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (Las Vegas, United States of America);
• 2018: Congress of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (New Orleans, United States of America);
• 2017: Osteosynthesis and orthopedic trauma (Graz, Austria);
• 2017: Ankle and foot surgery (Iasi, Romania);
• 2017: Congress of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (San Diego, United States of America);
• 2016: International Congress of Arthroplasty (Dubai, United Arab Emirates);
• 2016: Knee arthroplasty (difficult cases) (Berlin, Germany);
• 2016: Congress of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (Orlando, United States of America);
• 2014: Principles of surgical treatment of fractures (Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia);

Publications

Author within 55 specialized articles. Among the most important we enumerate:

• Dragos Apostu, Ondine Lucaciu, Alexandru Mester, Daniel Oltean-Dan, Dan Gheban, Horea Rares Ciprian Benea. Tibolone, Alendronate and Simvastatin enhance implant osseointegration in a preclinical in vivo model. Clinical Oral Implants Research. 2020
• Dragos Apostu, Ondine Lucaciu, Daniel Oltean-Dan, Alexandru-Dorin Muresan, Cristina Moisescu-Pop, Andrei Maxim, Horea Benea. The Influence of Thyroid Pathology on Osteoporosis and Fracture Risk: A Review. Diagnostics 10, 149. 2020
• Dragos Apostu, Horea RC Benea, Denisa Beldean, Daniel Oltean-Dan, Zsolt Gabri, Alexandru Mester, Ioan Cristescu. The influence of component positioning on total hip replacement biomechanics. Human and Veterinary Medicine. 2020.
• Dragos Apostu, Ondine Lucaciu, Alexandru Mester, Daniel Oltean-Dan, Mihaela Baciut, Grigore Baciut, Simion Bran, Florin Onisor, Andra Piciu, Roxana D Pasca, Andrei Maxim, Horea Benea. Systemic drugs with impact on osteoarthritis. Drug Metabolism Reviews. 2019.
• Dragos Apostu, Horea Rares Ciprian Benea, Denisa Beldean, Danieal Oltean-Dan, Zsolt Joseph Gabri, Alexandru Mester, Ioan Cristescu. The Influence of Component Positioning on Total Hip Replacement Biomechanics. Maedica. 2019;14:8.
• Daniel Oltean-Dan, Gabriela-Bombonica Dogaru, Maria Tomoaia-Cotisel, Dragos Apostu, Alexandru Mester, Horea-Rares-Ciprian Benea, Mihai-Gheorghe Paiusan, Elena-Mihaela Jianu Aurora Mocanu, Reka Balint, Catalin-Ovidiu Popa, Cristian Berce, Gyorgy-Istvan Bodizs, Alina-Mihaela Toader, Gheorghe Tomoaia. Enhancement of bone consolidation using high-frequency pulsed electromagnetic short-waves and titanium implants coated with biomimetic composite embedded into PLA matrix: in vivo evaluation. International Journal of Nanomedicine. 2019.
• Alexandru Mester, Dragos Apostu, Lidia Ciobanu, Andra Piciu, Ondine Lucaciu, Radu Septimiu Campian, Marian Taulescu, Simion Bran. The impact of proton pump inhibitors on bone regeneration and implant osseointegration. Drug Metabolism Reviews. 2019
• Apostu D, Lucaciu O, Mester A, Benea H, Oltean-Dan D, Onisor F, Baciut M, Bran S. Cannabinoids and Bone Regeneration . Drug Metabolism Reviews. 2019;doi:10.1080/036002532.2019.1574303.
• Mester A, Ciobanu L, Taulescu M, Apostu D, Lucaciu O, Filip GA, Feldrihan V, Licarete E, Ilea A, Piciu A, Oltean- Dan D, Scurtu I, Berce C, Campian RS. Periodontal disease may induce liver fibrosis in an experimental study on Wistar rats. J Periodontol. 2019;doi:10.0002/JPER.18-0585.
• MS Hasanain, D Apostu, A Alrefaee, S Tarabichi. Comparing the Effect of Tourniquet vs Tourniquet-Less in Simultaneous Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasties. The Journal of Arthroplasty. 2018. doi:10.1016/j.arth. 2018.02.013.
• Dragos Apostu, Ondine Lucaciu, Cristian Berce, Dan Lucaciu, Dan Cosma. Current methods of preventing aseptic loosening and improving osseointegration of titanium implants in cementless total hip arthroplasty: a review. Journal of International Medical Research. 2017;0(0):1-16.
• D Apostu, O Lucaciu, GDO Lucaciu, B Crisan, L Crisan, M Baciut, F Onisor, G Baciut, RS Campian, S Bran . Systemic drugs that influence titanium implant osseointegration. Drug Metabolism Reviews. 2017.

Clinical studies participation

• 2020: The effects of systemic drugs on the osseointegration process of titanium implants.
• - Project director within the PN-III-P1.1-PD-2019-0124 grant – Ministry of Education and Research.
• 2016 – 2017: Viking Therapeutics – phase II clinical study.

Awards

• 2020 - University of Medicine and Pharmacy Award for "Young researchers – Surgical Disciplines";
• 2019 - University of Medicine and Pharmacy Award for "Young researchers – Surgical Disciplines";
• 2017 - 2020: 8 awards granted by the Executive Unit for Financing Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation within the Ministry of Education and Research.

Membership in medical societies

• The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) – since 2016.
• The European Society for Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy.
• The Romanian Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology.