SAS9: MIS Hits Primetime
Article preview reprinted from Medtech Insight - June 2009
The Ninth Annual Symposium for the International Society for the Advance of Spine Surgery (SAS9), held this spring in London, welcomed almost 1,700 attendees, double that of 2008, and most sessions provided a spirit of optimism despite the harsh economic environment. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) took center stage as applications widen and techniques improve, while facet joint replacement devices and materials to simplify revisions also drew crowds. Find out more...
SAS9: MIS Hits Primetime
Article preview reprinted from Medtech Insight - June 2009
The Ninth Annual Symposium for the International Society for the Advance of Spine Surgery (SAS9), held this spring in London, welcomed almost 1,700 attendees, double that of 2008, and most sessions provided a spirit of optimism despite the harsh economic environment. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) took center stage as applications widen and techniques improve, while facet joint replacement devices and materials to simplify revisions also drew crowds.
MIS—Tale of Two Techniques
MIS for spine surgery was a key feature of the conference with NuVasive Inc.'s eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF) System or Direct Lateral Interbody Fusion (DLIF) and TranS1 Inc.'s Axial Lumbar Interbody Fusion (AxiaLIF) the most discussed techniques. In the XLIF approach, the patient lies on his side and a small incision is made in the flank area to push aside the peritoneum. A second incision is then made directly on the patient's side for access and a dilator is inserted above the disc. A probe is inserted into the psoas muscle; however as nerve bundles run very close to or over the psoas, electric neuromonitoring is used—NuVasive's NeuroVision—to avoid damage as the muscle is split. Once the muscle is split apart, a retractor allows access to the spine. For rod implantation, such as in scoliosis procedures, a series of access areas may be necessary via small incisions and dilators. As the XLIF surgery only splits muscles (as in an anterior interbody fusion [ALIF]) but does not cut muscles (as in a posterior lumbar interbody fusion [PLIF]), many patients are able to get up and walk around the night after they have had surgery. However the XLIF is not suitable for procedures at the L5-S1 location, where the majority of lumbar degeneration occurs.
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Companies mentioned in this article:
Archus Orthopedics Inc.
Diamicron Inc.
Disc Motion Technologies
Facet Solutions Inc.
Impliant Inc.
Loyola University Medical Center
NuVasive Inc.
Synthes Inc.
TranS1 Inc.
University of Toledo
Related articles:
Spine Market: A Perfect Storm, Medtech Insight 11/2008
Archus: Using Old Principles to Open a New Market in Spine, IN VIVO 7/2008
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