Spine Surgery Steadily Adopting Minimally Invasive Procedures (MedMarket Diligence Report)

The development of imaging systems like fluoroscopy, sophisticated endoscopes and a wide range of surgical instruments that facilitate minimally invasive surgery are combining with the persistent demand for less invasive, less traumatic procedures to drive the growth of minimally invasive spine surgery. Products, technologies and trends in minimally invasive surgery are detailed in the worldwide spine surgery report from MedMarket Diligence.

Foothill Ranch, CA, June 06, 2008 --(PR.com)-- A traditional, “open” surgical spine procedure typically involves the surgeon making a long incision, from either an anterior or posterior approach, dissecting and retracting layers of tissue as needed to provide both visualization and access to the affected area. For many kinds of operations—instrumented spinal fusion the most notable—open procedures remain the norm due to the demands of positioning, attaching, and configuring fixation devices. A higher rate of patient postoperative complications and a longer recuperative time period are thought to result from many open procedures, however. These findings have helped to drive the development of minimally invasive techniques—and instrumentation—for certain kinds of operations; in the near future, new minimally invasive technologies and techniques will likely change the approach to operations currently performed with traditional means.

Traditional ("Open") Spinal Surgery Procedures

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF): An intervertebral disc in the cervical spine bulges or herniates, exerting pressure on an adjacent nerve root. Procedure also used to remove tumors, osteophytes, or vertebral fracture fragments from the spinal canal.

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF): An intervertebral disc in the cervical spine bulges or herniates, exerting pressure on an adjacent nerve root. Procedure also used to remove tumors, osteophytes, or vertebral fracture fragments from the spinal canal.

Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF): Herniated intervertebral disc in the lumbar spine.

Cervical Corpectomy: Narrowing of the cervical spinal canal due to growth of bone spurs or the ligament behind the vertebral bodies, where an anterior cervical discectomy does not address the entire area of neural compression.

Cervical Foraminotomy: Space through which a spinal nerve root branches off from the cervical spinal canal is too narrow, exerting pressure on the root

Cervical Laminoplasty: Cervical spinal canal is painfully restrictive due to injury or disease.

Decompressive Lumbar Laminectomy: Abnormal bone spurs or rough intervertebral disc edges exert pressure on spinal nerve roots or the cauda equina, a nerve root bundle at the end of the spinal cord.

Interbody Fusion with Cages: Performed to remove a damaged intervertebral disc and fuse the vertebrae above and below the disc space.

Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (PLIF): Herniated intervertebral disc in the lumbar spine.

Spinal Fusion: Indicated in a variety of instances to unite two or more bony segments so that they grow together

Posterolateral Gutter Spine Fusion: Indicated in a variety of instances to unite two or more bony segments so that they grow together. This approach has a high level of success due to the rich vascular network present in the posterolateral spinal region.

Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF): Performed to remove a damaged intervertebral disc and fuse the vertebrae above and below the disc space.

Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery Procedures

While patient concerns remain a significant driver in the development of minimally invasive techniques, technological advances in surgical instrumentation have transformed the theoretical to the practical. Advanced fluoroscopy, or x-ray imaging during surgery, has markedly improved the accuracy of incisions made and hardware placed. A variety of endoscopes, camera-tipped wands, can be inserted through small incisions and provide the surgeon with excellent visualization of the operative site.

Increasingly, minimally invasive techniques are becoming the preferred method for autologous bone graft procedures. Traditional procedures involve the surgeon making a 3- to 5-inch incision to harvest bone from the patient’s hip area, and some studies have shown that complications arise in nearly a third (31%) of these patients. These studies also show that about 27% of patients still feel pain in the hip area up to two years after the surgery.

Vertebroplasty: Performed to treat fractured or collapsed vertebra

Kyphoplasty: Performed to lessen or eliminate pain due to an osteoporotic compression fracture of the vertebra

Microscopic Discectomy: Performed to relieve pressure on spinal nerve roots caused by a ruptured intervertebral disc

Disc Decompression: Performed to remove extruded portions of an uncontained herniated disc or to remove nuclear disc material causing a bulge in a contained herniation. Decompressing the disc relieves pressure on adjacent nerve roots.

Endoscopic Scoliosis Surgery: Performed to correct abnormal lateral curvature; this is an alternate procedure for certain forms of scoliosis appearing in the thoracic spine

The MedMarket Diligence report #M510 is a detailed market and technology assessment and forecast of the products and technologies in the management of diseases and disorders of the spine. For additional information, see link (http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-m510.htm) or contact Patrick Driscoll, 949-859-3401. The report may also be purchased online (http://www.mediligence.com/store/page24.html).

About MedMarket Diligence
MedMarket Diligence provides tactical decision-making solutions on medical technology to the medical products and investment industries. The company business reports on advanced medical technologies through its Market and Technology Reports (http://www.mediligence.com/web-files/prod01.htm) and the Medtech Startups Database (http://www.mediligence.com/web-files/startups-db.htm).

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