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Michael H. McCarthy, MD, MPH, FAAOS, is a board certified, fellowship trained spine surgeon. He was born and raised in Little Rock, AR and was recruited to play collegiate football at Boston College. He attended medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences on an academic scholarship and was inducted into the Delta Omega Society graduating with honors. He completed his general surgery internship and orthopaedic surgery residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL. He was elected by his faculty to serve as Chief Resident of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and was given the Outstanding Teaching Award and the Brian Hartigan Memorial Award for his compassionate care, clinical excellence and dedication to resident and medical student education.

Dr. McCarthy completed fellowship training in spinal surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, NY with several world-renowned spine surgeons. He has received extensive training in both Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical spine surgery techniques during his residency and fellowship and continues to combine them in his degenerative, minimally invasive and deformity practice.

Dr. McCarthy is passionate about patient centered care and evidence-based treatments through continued learning and research providing the best possible clinical solutions to his patients. While he believes that world class spine care begins with non-operative treatments, he strives to provide personalized surgical plans optimizing outcomes and maximizing his patients’ ability to return to the things they love. His patient centered focus is predicated on tailored treatment plans and a collaborative approach providing a patient first experience.

Dr. McCarthy is an Assistant Professor at Indiana University, educating residents and fellows on spine pathology and spine surgery and has authored numerous research publications, textbook chapters, as well as presented nationally and internationally on his research. He was nominated into the Emerging Leadership Forum of the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) and served as a delegate in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Resident Assembly Committee. He is a current member of the North American Spine Society (NASS), American Medical Association (AMA), and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

Dr. McCarthy’s training has taken him across the country and he is honored to bring this world-class experience to serve the folks of Indiana. He is proud to continue the legacy of ISG as a center of excellence and thought leader in spinal surgery. Both he and his wife’s families live in Indiana and they are excited to raise their four children as Hoosiers! Dr. McCarthy enjoys spending time with his family, fishing and being outdoors.

 


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Locations
Carmel
Crawfordsville
Lebanon
Zionsville

Education

Undergraduate Degree
Bachelor of Arts, History
Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA

Master’s Degree
Master in Public Health
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR

Medical School
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Little Rock, AR

Residency
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program, Chicago, IL

Fellowship Training
Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY

Certifications & Professional Memberships

North American Spine Society
American Medical Association
American Orthopaedic Association
Lumbar Spine Research Society
Cervical Spine Research Society
Scoliosis Research Society
Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (FAAOS)

Publications, Books & Presentations

Peer-Reviewed Publications/Review Articles

Click on link below for up-to-date publications
 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=McCarthy+MH&cauthor_id=32615695

  • Lovecchio F, McCarthy MH, Vaishnav AS, York P, Qureshi SA. Early Catastrophic Failure of Cervical Disc Arthroplasty: A Case Report. JBJS Case Connect. (February 2021)
  • McCarthy MH,  Louie, PK, York PJ, Othman YA, Vaishnav AS, Sato K, Lee R, Huang RC, Albert TJ, Qureshi SA. Radiographic Evaluation of Cervical Disk Replacement: The Impact of Preoperative Arthrosis and Implant Positioning on Patient-report Outcomes. Clin. Spine Surg. (November 2020)
  • Nolte, M,. Harada, G., Louie, P.K., McCarthy, M.H.,  An, H.S., Samartzis, D. COVID-19: Current and Future Challenges in Spine Care and Education- A Worldwide Study. Journal of Orthopaedic Research Spine. (August 2020)
  • Yao, Y.C., Lafage,R., Louie, P.K., McCarthy, M.H., Schwab, F., Kim, H.J. “Preoperative Hounsfield Units at the Planned Upper Instrumented Vertebrae May Predict Proximal Junctional Kyphosis in Adult Spinal Deformity” SPINE (August 2020)
  • Weiner, J.A., Swiatek, P.R., Johnson, D.J.,  Louie, P.,K., Harada, G., McCarthy, M.H.,  An, H.S., Samartzis, D. Spine Surgery and COVID-19: the influence of practice type on preparedness, response, and economic impact” Global Spine Journal. (July 2020)
  • Sayari, A.J., Harada, G.K., Louie, P.K., McCarthy, M.H., Nolte, M.T., An, H.S., Samartzis. Personal Health of Spine Surgeons Can Impact Perceptions, Decision-Making and Healthcare Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Worldwide Study. Neurospine (June 2020)
  • Louie, P.K., Alshabab B.A.,McCarthy, M.H., Qureshi, S., Albert, T.J., Kim, H.J. Classification System for Cervical Spine Deformity Morphology: A Validation Study. SPINE (June 2020)
  • Swiatek, P.R., Weiner, J.A., Butler, B.A., McCarthy, M.H., Louie, P.K., Hsu W.K., Patel, A.A. Assessing the Early Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Spine Surgery Fellowship Education. SPINE (June 2020)
  • Swiatek, P.R., Weiner, Johnson, D.J., Louie, P.K., McCarthy, M.H. An, H.S., Samartzis. COVID-19 and the Rise of Virtual Medicine in Spine Surgery: A Worldwide Study. SPINE (June 2020)
  • Louie PK, Harada GK, McCarthy MH, Albert TJ, An HS, Samartzis D. The Global Spine Community and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Divided or United? SPINE. (April 2020)
  • Louie, P., McCarthy, M.H., Albert, T.J., Kim, H.J. Reaching Peak Performance During Surgical Training: The Value of Assessment Tools and Critical Performance Measures. Journal of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. (April 2020)
  • Louie, P., Harada G., McCarthy, M.H., Germscheid, N., Cheung, J., Neva, M., El-Sharkawi, M., Valacco, M., Sciubba, D., Chutken, N., An, H., Samartzis. The Global Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Surgeons. The Global Spine Journal. (April 2020)
  • Dowdell J., Louie, P., Virk, S., McCarthy, M.H., Sandhu, H., Qureshi, S., Albert, T.J., Kim, H.J. Spine Fellowship Training Reorganizing during a Pandemic: Perspectives from a Tertiary Orthopaedic Specialty Center in the Epicenter of Outbreak. The Spine Journal. (April 2020)
  • Swiatek P., McCarthy M.H., Weiner JA., Louie P.K., Iyer S. Narrative Review of Intraoperative Image Guidance for Lateral Position Surgery. Annals of Translational Medicine, Current State of Intraoperative Imaging. (2020)
  • Weiner JA. McCarthy M.H., Swiatek P., Louie P.K., Qureshi S.A. Narrative Review of Intraoperative Image Guidance for Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion. Annals of Translational Medicine, Current State of Intraoperative Imaging. (2020)
  • McCarthy, M.H., Boody, B., Rosenthal, B., Savage, J., Hsu, W.K., Patel, A.A. The Perceived Efficacy and Utility of Spine Bioskills Curricula for Resident and Fellow Education. Journal of Orthopaedics (Jan 2020)
  • McCarthy MH, Singh P, Maslak JP, Nayak R, Jenkins TJ, Hsu WK, Patel AA. Can the American College of Surgeons Risk Calculator Predict 30-Day Complications After Spine Surgery? SPINE. (Nov 2019)
  • McCarthy, M.H., Patel, A.A. Strategies to Achieve Spinal Fusion in Multilevel Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery: An Overview. Spine Fusion Special Issue, Hospital for Special Surgery Journal. (Sept 2019)
  • McCarthy MH, Singh P, Maslak JP, Nayak R, Jenkins TJ, Hsu WK, Patel AA. Can the American College of Surgeons Risk Calculator Predict 30-Day Complications After Cervical Spine Surgery? Clinical Spine Surgery. (Accepted Aug 2019)
  • Maslak JP, Jenkins TJ, Weiner JA, Kannan AS, McCarthy MH, , Hsu WK, Patel AA. The Impact of Sciatica on Over 1 Million United States Medicare Recipients. Journal of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) Research (Accepted July 2019)
  • Christian RA, McCarthy MH, Butler BA, Dhillon ES, Terry MA, Tjong VK.  Relationship Between Crossover Sign and Anterior Center-Edge Angle. Journal of Orthopaedics. (Accepted March 2019)
  • Rosenthal, B.D, McCarthy, M.H., Savage, J.W., Singh, K, Hsu, W.K., Patel, A.A. A Comparison of Patient Centered Outcome Measures to Evaluate Dysphagia and Dysphonia after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF). J. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) Research (Accepted Jan 2019)
  • McCarthy, M.H., Kim, J.D., Boody, B.S., Bhatt, S., Hsu, W.K., Patel, A.A. Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) in the Surgical Treatment of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Comparison of Lumbar Fusion with and without Interbody Fusion. Clinical Spine Surgery (submitted)
  • Chioffe, M., McCarthy, M.H., Voronov L., Havey, R., Muturi M., Patwardhan, A., Patel, A.A. Biomechanical Analysis of Stand-alone Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Lumbar. Cureus. (Accepted 11/20/19)
  • Boody, B.S., Hashmi, S.Z., Rosenthal, B.D., Maslak, J.P., McCarthy, M.H., Patel, A.A., Savage, J.W., and Hsu,W.K. (2017). The Effectiveness of Bioskills Training for Simulated Lumbar Pedicle Screw Placement. Global Spine Journal. 2017 Dec; 7(8): 794-800
  • Sun, D., McCarthy, M.H., Dooley, A., Ramakrishnaiah, R., Shelton, S., Suva, L., McCarthy, R. The utility of an allograft tendon for scoliosis correction via the costotransverse foramen. Journal of Orthopaedic Research . 2017 Jan;35(1):183-192.
  • Mulkey SB, Glasier CM, El-Nabbout B, Walters WD, Ionita C, McCarthy M.H., Sharp GB, Shbarou RM. Nerve root enhancement on spinal MRI in pediatric Guillain-Barre´syndrome. Pediatric Neurology, October 2010;43:263-269

Book Chapters       

  • Swiatek, P.R., Sanders, E.J., McCarthy, M.H. Chapter 5: Clinical Correlations to Specific Phenotypes and Measurements with Classification Systems. Atlas of Spinal Imaging: Phenotypes, Measurements and Classification Systems. An HS, Louie PK, Samartzis, D. Elsevier: Philadelphia, PA
  • Harada G.K, McCarthy, M.H. Louie, P.K. Chapter 17: The Future of Spine Imaging. Atlas of Spinal Imaging: Phenotypes, Measurements and Classification Systems. An HS, Louie PK, Samartzis, D. Elsevier: Philadelphia, PA
  • Louie PK, McCarthy M.H., An HS. Chapter 3: Cervical Radiculopathy. Video Atlas of Spine Surgery. An HS, Louie PK, Basques BA, Lopez GD [Eds.]. Thieme: New York, NY.
  • McCarthy, M.H., Albert, T.J., Evaluation of Athletes with Neck or Arm Pain. Spinal Conditions in the Athlete: A Clinical Guide to Evaluation, Management, and Controversies. 1st Edition. Editors: Hsu, W.K., Jenkins, T.J. Springer Publishing, Inc.
  • McCarthy, M.H., Patel, A.A. Section XII: Trauma. Management of Central Cord Syndrome. Textbook of Spinal Surgery. 5th Edition. Editors: Bridwell, K., Gupta, M. Wolters Kluwer, Inc.
  • Maslak, J.P., McCarthy, M.H., Hashmi, S.Z., Sarwark, J.F. Chapter 3: Embryology and Maturation of the Spine. Spinal Deformities: The Comprehensive Text. 2nd Edition. Editors: DeWald, R. Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
  • Boody, B.S., McCarthy M.H., Hsu, W.K. Current Controversies in Minimally Invasive versus Open Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion. Orthopaedic Knowledge Online Journal 2016;14(1):2.
  • McCarthy, M.H., Albert, T.J. (2022). Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease (Including Cervical Disc Herniation). In: Şenköylü, A., Canavese, F. (eds) Essentials of Spine Surgery. Springer, Cham.

Podium/Poster Presentations

  • Philip K. Louie, MD; Basel Sheikh Alshabab, MD; Michael H. McCarthy, MD, MPH; Sohrab Virk, MD; James E. Dowdell, MD; Michael E. Steinhaus, MD; Francis Lovecchio, MD; Andre M. Samuel, MD; Kyle W. Morse, MD; Todd J. Albert, MD; Sheeraz A. Qureshi, MD; Sravisht Iyer, MD; Yoshihiro Katsuura, MD; Russel C. Huang, MD; Matthew E. Cunningham, MD, PhD; Yu-Cheng Yao, MD; Karen Weissmann, MD; Virginie Lafage, PhD; Renaud Lafage, MSc; Han Jo Kim, MD  Classification System for Cervical Spine Deformity Morphology: A Validation Study. Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS) 2020 Annual Meeting. 2020. Las Vegas, NV. E-Poster
  • Yu-Cheng Yao MD, Philip K. Louie MD, Michael McCarthy MD, Renaud Lafage MS, Jonathan Elysee MS, Basel Sheikh Alshabab, Russel Huang MD, Todd J Albert MD, Virginie Lafage PhD, Han Jo Kim MD. Cage Height is more Important than Surface Area for Subsidence in Multilevel Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusions. CSRS Annual Meeting 2020. Las Vegas, NV. Podium PresentationPresenter: Yu-Cheng Yao
  • Philip K. Louie, Yu-Cheng Yao, Jonathan Elysee, Renaud Lafage, Michael H. McCarthy, Russel C. Huang, Todd J. Albert, Virginie Lafage, Han Jo Kim. The Impact of Spondylolisthesis on Patients Undergoing Laminoplasty for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes. Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS) 2020 Annual Meeting. December 9-12, 2020. Las Vegas, NV. Eletronic-Poster
  • McCarthy M.H., Lafage R., Smith J., Ames C., Klineberg E., Kim H., Shaffery C., Mundis G., Schwab F., Lafage V, ISSG. “How much lumbar lordosis does a patient need to reach their age-adjusted alignment target? A formulated approach predicting successful surgical outcomes” NASS 35th Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA. Oct 2020
  • McCarthy M.H., Lafage R., Smith J., Ames C., Klineberg E., Kim H., Shaffery C., Mundis G., Schwab F., Lafage V, ISSG. “How much lumbar lordosis does a patient need to reach their age-adjusted alignment target? A formulated approach predicting successful surgical outcomes” International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST), Scoliosis Research Society. Athens, Greece. April 2020
  • Dowdell J.E., Chan J.J, Louie P.K., McCarthy M.H., Virk S., Chaudary S.B. “Trends and Outcomes of Anticagulation in Spinal Surgery” AOSpine Seminar: 18th Annual Fellows Forum. Banff, Canada. March 2020
  • Louie P.K., McCarthy M.H., Virk S., Dowdell J. Lafage V., Kim H.J. “Classification System for Cervical Spine Deformity Morphology: A Validation Study.” AOSpine Seminar: 18th Annual Fellows Forum. Banff, Canada. March 2020
  • McCarthy M.H., Lafage R., Smith J., Ames C., Klineberg E., Kim H., Shaffery C., Mundis G., Schwab F., Lafage V. “How much lumbar lordosis does a patient need to reach their age-adjusted alignment target? A formulated approach predicting successful surgical outcomes.” AOSpine Seminar: 18th Annual Fellows Forum. Banff, Canada. March 2020
  • Virk S., McCarthy M.H., Louie P.K., Dowdell J. Albert T.A., Qureshi S. “A Novel Preoperative MRI based lumbar muscle grade to predict patient reported health related quality of life score.” AOSpine Seminar: 18th Annual Fellows Forum. Banff, Canada. March 2020
  • McCarthy M.H., Azhar Y, York P, Huand R, Albert TJ, Qureshi S. “Does Positioning of Cervical Disc Arthroplasty Implant Affect Postoperative Outcome?” Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS), Annual Meeting, New York, NY. November 2019
  • McCarthy M.H., Jenkins, T.J, Maslak, J., Hsu, W.K., Patel, A.A. “Can the American College of Surgeons Risk Calculator Predict 30-day Complications After Spine Surgery?” Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) Research Symposium. Chicago, IL. April 2019
  • Jenkins TJ, Maslak JP, Kannan AS, McCarthy MH, Weiner JA, Hsu WK, Patel AA. The Impact of Sciatica on Over 1 Million United States Medicare Recipients. Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) Research Symposium. Chicago, IL. April 2019
  • McCarthy M.H., Jenkins, T.J, Maslak, J., Hsu, W.K., Patel, A.A. “Can the American College of Surgeons Risk Calculator Predict 30-day Complications After Lumbar Spine Surgery?” Mid-America Orthopaedic Association, Annual Meeting. Miramar Beach, FL. April 2019
  • McCarthy M.H., Jenkins, T.J, Maslak, J., Hsu, W.K., Patel, A.A. “Can the American College of Surgeons Risk Calculator Predict 30-day Complications After Cervical Spine Surgery?” Cervical Spine Research Society. Annual Meeting. Scottsdale, AZ. December 2018
  • McCarthy M.H., Jenkins, T.J, Maslak, J., Hsu, W.K., Patel, A.A. “Can the American College of Surgeons Risk Calculator Predict 30-day Complications After Lumbar Spine Surgery?” Lumbar Spine Research Society, Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL. April 2018
  • McCarthy M.H., Jenkins, T.J, Singh, P., Dhillon, E., Hsu, W.K., Patel, A.A. “Can the American College of Surgeons Risk Calculator Predict 30-day Complications After Cervical Spine Surgery?” Mid-America Orthopaedic Association, Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX. April 2018
  • McCarthy, M.H., Kim, J.D., Boody, B.S., Bhatt, S., Hsu, W.K., Patel, A.A. “Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) in the Surgical Treatment of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Comparison of Lumbar Fusion with and without Interbody Fusion. Clinic.” North American Spine Society, Annual Meeting. Orlando, FL. October 2017
  • McCarthy, M.H., George, A., Dhillon, E.S., Patel, A.A. “Treatment of Adjacent Segment Disease Associated with Lumbar Fusion: What is the Best Construct?” 13th Annual Lewis Lansburg Research Day, Northwestern University. April 2017
  • McCarthy, M.H., Singh, P.S., Dhillon, E.S., Patel, A.A. “Can the American College of Surgeons Risk Calculator Predict 30-day Complications After Cervical Spine Surgery?”13th Annual Lewis Lansburg Research Day, Northwestern University. April 2017
  • McCarthy, M.H., Kim, J.D., Boody, B.S., Bhatt, S., Hsu, W.K., Patel, A.A. “Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) in the Surgical Treatment of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Comparison of Lumbar Fusion with and without Interbody Fusion. Clinic.” AO Spine North America, Fellow Forum. Banff, AB CA
  • Boody, B.S., Hashmi, S.Z., Rosenthal, B.D., Maslak, J.P., McCarthy, M.H., Patel, A.A., Savage, J.W., and Hsu,W.K. (2017). “The Effectiveness of Bioskills Training for Simulated Lumbar Pedicle Screw Placement.” Lumbar Spine Research, Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL. April 2017
  • Patel, A.A., Bhatt, S., Rosenthal, B.D., McCarthy, M.H., Ahn, J., Savage, J.W., Hsu, W.K., and Singh, K. “A Comparison of Patient Centered Outcome Measures to Evaluate Dysphagia and Dysphonia after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF)” Cervical Spine Research Society Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada, December 2016
  • Patel, A.A., Bhatt, S., Rosenthal, B.D., McCarthy, M.H., Ahn, J., Savage, J.W., Hsu, W.K., and Singh, K. “A Comparison of Patient Centered Outcome Measures to Evaluate Dysphagia and Dysphonia after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF)” North American Spine Society Annual Meeting. Boston, MA, October 2016
  • Boody, B.S., Rosenthal, B.D., McCarthy, M.H., Patel, A.A., Hsu, W.K., and Savage, J.W. “The Perceived Efficacy and Utility of Bioskills Curricula for Resident and Fellow Education” Lumbar Spine Research Society Annual Meeting. Chicago, Illinois, April 2016
  • McCarthy, M.H., Montgomery, C., Graham, J. “Patterns of Musculoskeletal Injuries and Intimate Partner Violence: The Orthopaedist’s Unique Role.” University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Public Heatlh, Masters in Public Health Culminating Experience Project. May 2014
  • Sun, D., McCarthy, M.H., McCarthy R.E., Suva L. “Porcine scoliosis model induced by allograft tether via pedicle rib interval.” University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Student Research Day. Little Rock, AR. March 2014
  • McCarthy, M.H., Sun, D., McCarthy, R.E., Suva, L. “Micro-CT Analysis of Porcine Scoliosis Model Induced by Unilateral Tendon Tethering.” American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL. April 2013
  • McCarthy, M.H, Sun, D., Suva, L., McCarthy, R.E. “Micro-CT Analysis of Porcine Scoliosis Model Induced by Unilateral Tendon Tethering.” Scoliosis Research Society, 20th International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques. Vancouver, CA. July 2013
  • Sun, D., McCarthy, R.E., McCarthy, M.H., Suva, L. “The Utility of an Allograft Tendon for Scoliosis Correction via the Costotransverse Foramen in a Porcine Model.” Scoliosis Research Society, 20th International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques. Vancouver, CA. July 2013
  • McCarthy, M.H., Sun, D., Suva, L., McCarthy, R.E. “Micro-CT Analysis of Porcine Scoliosis Model Induced by Unilateral Tendon Tethering.” University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Student Research Day; Little Rock, AR. March 2012.
  • McCarthy, M.H., Sun, D., McCarthy, R.E., Suva, L. “Micro-CT Analysis of Porcine Scoliosis Model Induced by Unilateral Tendon Tethering.” Scoliosis Research Society, 19th International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques. Istanbul, Turkey .July 2012
  • Martin, R., Montgomery, C., Harris, J., McCarthy. M.H. “Polyarticular Septic Arthritis in Children: What do we know?: 28th Annual Arkansas Orthopaedic Forum. Little Rock, AR. March 2012

Awards & Recognition

  • Top Doctor, Indianapolis Monthly, 2023
  • Top 20 Spine Surgeons under the age of 40 by the North American Spine Society (NASS). See article here.
  • Becker’s Spine Review- Surgeons Who Lead Midwest’s Top Spine Hospitals honoree, 2022.
  • Brian Hartigan, M.D. Memorial Award, 2019. Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Videos

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