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Test Nspine

Spinal News International is partnering with NSpine—the world’s most comprehensive spine review course—to offer live and on-demand meeting coverage from Monday 12 June. Spinal News...

Safe Orthopaedics expands distribution into Mexico and Chile

Safe Orthopaedics is expansion into the Latin American market under distribution agreements covering Mexico and Chile. After securing regulatory marketing approvals in Australia and New...

Michael Minogue appointed to Bioventus Board of Managers

Bioventus has announced the appointment of Michael Minogue, chief executive officer, president and chairman of Abiomed, to the company’s Board of Managers, replacing Evan...

Delivering innovation to the market through data

Jeff Dunkel, vice president of strategic partnership at Titan Spine, talks exclusively to Spinal News International about his appointment to the Executive Operations Committee...

US patent issued to Aurora Spine for Zip minimally invasive interspinous...

Aurora Spine has received US patent number 9,364,264, entitled "Dynamic and Non-Dynamic Interspinous Fusion Implant and Bone Growth Stimulation System". This patent covers Aurora’s...

US patent issued to Predictive Technology for therapeutics for specific genetic...

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a fundamental patent (US Patent 9,370,431) covering the practice of administering any spine deformation...

Invivo Therapeutics’ Neuro-spinal scaffold case report published

A case report detailing the first clinical Invivo Therapeutics’ Neuro-spinal scaffold implantation has been published in Neurosurgery. Nicholas Theodore is the lead author of the...

Life Spine reports success with initial Longbow cases

Life Spine has successfully completed initial cases with its Longbow expandable lateral spacer system. According to a company release, the product is the first...

Spinal Elements receives FDA 510(k) clearance for expandable interbody device

Spinal Elements has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market a line of expandable interbody fusion devices.  The clearance...

Frontier Biotech patch demonstrates significant pain relief for low back in...

Conducted at nine clinical centres in the United States, the trial enrolled 146 patients with chronic low back pain. AB001 also achieved statistically significant...

Interspinous process fixation vs. pedicle screw fixation

Kee D Kim explores new one-year outcomes data supporting the use of interspinous process fixation as an alternative to the use of pedicle screws. Do...

The benefits of computer-assisted surgery

Surgical technologies are becoming more diverse and more easily accessible. Most do not have true added value, but others, like neuromonitoring for complex deformity...

Centinel Spine completes alpha release of Stalif L

Centinel Spine has completed the alpha release of its Stalif L no-profile, lateral lumbar integrated interbody device. According to a press release, Stalif L is...

Exactech commences full launch of Acapella One cervical spacer system

Exactech has begun the full launch of its Acapella One cervical spacer system. The cervical cage pre-assembled with integrated anchors is designed to enable surgeons to...

Blue Cross Shield denies coverage for high-frequency spinal cord stimulation in...

Blue Cross Blue Shield has denied coverage for high frequency spinal cord stimulation in at least two states. Outposts of the federation of...

Spineart Baguera C reaches 15,000 implantations worldwide

As of 1st June 2016, more than 15,000 Baguera C have been successfully implanted worldwide. The first surgery was held in France in January...

SeaSpine launches Hollywood VI NanoMetalene interbody device

SeaSpine has announced the full commercial launch of its Hollywood VI NanoMetalene transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion device. Hollywood VI NanoMetalene is indicated for use in...

Mazor Robotics announces first New York City, USA PROlat procedure using...

According to a press release from Mazor Robotics, Ronald Lehman has become the first person in New York City, USA, to perform a PROlat...

SpineCraft Apex reaches 15,000 surgery milestone

SpineCraft reports it has completed 15,000 Apex spine system surgeries globally. The instrumentation system is designed for complex deformity correction as well as tumour, trauma...

CE mark granted to KB Medical for AQrate robotic assistance system

KB Medical has received CE marking certificate for its AQrate robotic assistance system, indicated for precise positioning of surgical instruments and spinal implants during...

Spineology releases expandable Elite interbody device

Spineology has released the Elite expandable interbody fusion system. The Elite expandable interbody fusion system is designed to be implanted at a minimal height and...

Minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion now covered by all US Medicare...

Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), First Coast Service Options (FCSO), which covers the state of Florida as well as Puerto Rico and the US Virgin...

US FDA clears SpineGuard to market Pediguard Threaded DSG device

SpineGuard has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its new PediGuard Threaded DSG (Dynamic Surgical Guidance) device. “We are...

Geisinger Health plan to exclusively cover SI-Bone iFuse for sacroiliac joint...

Geisinger Health Plan, a commercial health plan covering more than 500,000 individuals in the US states of Delaware, Maine, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West...

Amedica submits response to FDA for clearance of composite interbody spinal...

Amedica has submitted its responses to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in relation to the CASCADE clinical trial. The CASCADE study compared the...

SI-Bone receives 510(k) clearance for updated iFuse indication

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared a 510(k) to allow modification of Si-Bone’s indication statement for iFuse, noting that clinical studies...

Titan Spine enhances its Endoskeleton warranty

Titan Spine Endoskeleton
Titan Spine is to provide a free replacement if any of the company’s Endoskeleton interbody fusion devices delaminate or generate particulate debris during implantation,...

Three patients discuss experience with Medicrea’s UNiD rods for Scoliosis Awareness...

Medicrea has recently partnered with Children’s Hospital (New Orleans, USA) orthopaedic surgeon, Andrew G King, to speak on his experience using Medicrea’s UNiD rods...

Scoliosis linked to disruptions in spinal fluid flow

A new study in zebrafish by researchers at Princeton University and the University of Toronto suggests that irregular fluid flow through the spinal column...

Study “lends further credence” to view that facet joint tropism may...

An international, large-scale multicentre study of 33 spine institutes indicates that facet joint tropism—also known as facet joint angulation asymmetry—may be developmental in origin...

University of Florida sports arena to be named after Exactech

This drawing depicts plans to recognise the newly named Exactech Arena at the Stephen C O’Connell Center, a sports and entertainment complex at the University...

LDR announces first surgeries using ROI-C cervical cage with titanium coating

LDR has announced the initial implantations of the ROI-C titanium-coated cervical cage. The first surgeries were performed by Mark Giovanini, a board-certified neurosurgeon specialising...

InVivo Therapeutics appoints Christina Morrison to its board of directors

InVivo Therapeutics has appointed Christina Morrison to its board of directors effective immediately. Most recently, Morrison served as the senior vice president of finance...

ChoiceSpine granted 510(k) clearance for titanium interbody devices

ChoiceSpine has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market titanium lumbar interbody fusion devices. A ChoiceSpine press release states...

Avitus Orthopaedics receives 510(k) clearance and launches the Avitus bone harvester

Avitus Orthopaedics has launched pilot sales of its Avitus bone harvester product following the receipt of its 510(k) approval. The Avitus bone harvester, which has...

CTL Medical appoints executive management team

CTL Medical has announced the executive management team that will lead the organisation into the next phase of its growth. “We have a solid...

Crowdsourced patient-reporting platform suggests 84% of US back surgeries ultimately ineffective

Health Outcome, a consumer website focused on bridging the information gap for treatment outcomes, has launched the first crowdsourcing platform for patients to rate...

Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, USA, purchases third...

image of EOS imaging's platform
New York City’s Hospital for Special Surgery has acquired a third EOS system. The hospital installed its first EOS in 2013 for paediatric cases and...

Virginie Lafage

Virginie Lafage entered the world of spinal research by chance, after an engineering project drove her to a biomechanics lab in Paris, France. Since...

Screw placement accuracy in instrumented spinal fusion

Screw placement accuracy is a critical point in instrumented spinal fusion, especially in difficult deformity cases There is a real, established risk of pedicle...

Similar benefits for arthroplasty and cervical fusion in real-world patients vs....

Seeking to “go beyond the evidence presented by randomised control trials”, a group of researchers has used the international Spine Tango registry to compare...

NuVasive to acquire Biotronic NeuroNetwork

NuVasive has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Biotronic NeuroNetwork, a company which provides intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring services. NuVasive will acquire the company for...

Femoral neck fractures in the over-70s: staying out of care homes

Age-related injuries such as femoral neck fractures often result in care dependency. However,  it does not necessarily have to be that way, suggested Tim...

Zimmer Biomet to acquire LDR

Zimmer Biomet and LDR have announced a definitive agreement under which Zimmer Biomet will acquire all of the outstanding shares of LDR. The purchase price...

First Vertera Spine PEEK Cohere cervical fusion devices successfully implanted

Vertera Spine has announced the first wave of implantations with the Cohere cervical interbody fusion system. Cohere features the company’s patented porous PEEK (polyether...

FDA streamlines “compassionate use” application process

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalised its efforts to streamline the “compassionate use” process, used by physicians to access investigational drugs...

US Senate introduces legislation to streamline Medicare beneficiary access to breakthrough...

A new bill introduced to the US Senate by Senator Dan Coats seeks to address the gap between the US Food and Drug Administration...

Tyber Medical interbody devices approved by Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration

The entire platform of interbody products from Tyber Medical has been accepted into the Australian Registry of Therapeutic Goods. According to a Tyber Medical press...

Eden Spine Sphynx receives CE mark

Eden Spine’s Sphynx plating system has been granted CE mark approval. Made of titanium, the low profile Sphynx is intended to be implanted via the...

US FDA grants 510(k) clearance to Additive Orthopaedics’ 3D-printed fusion implant

The US Food and Drug Administration has granted 510(k) clearance to Additive Orthopaedics for its 3D-printed titanium digital fusion implant. "Additive manufacturing allows us to...

The limits of intraoperative fluoroscopic navigation

Whilst intraoperative fluoroscopic navigation may offer a number of benefits to spinal surgery, uptake in the field is still relatively low. Jeff McConnell talks...

Life Spine reports success for initial cases with Plateau-Ti spacer system

Life Spine has reported that the first cases have been successfully performed with the company’s Plateau-Ti spacer system. Plateau-Ti is a titanium interbody system using...

Mary E Shaugnessy nominated as Implanet Board director

Implanet has nominated Mary E Shaughnessy as its new Board director. Drawing on 20 years of experience working for Partners Healthcare System in Boston, Shaughnessy’s...

Pinnacle Spine launches Infill anterior lumbar interbody fusion device

Pinnacle Spine has launched its InFill anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) interbody device. The device is designed to maximise wall thickness and graft chamber...

FDA clears two K2M 3D-printed Cascadia devices

K2M has received 510(k) clearances from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Cascadia cervical and the Cascadia AN lordotic oblique...

European Union agrees new rules for approving medical devices and in...

The Netherlands presidency of the European Council and representatives of the European Parliament have reached a political agreement on two draft regulations for medical...

Ortho Kinematics secures Health Canada approval

Ortho Kinematics has received Health Canada authorisation for its Vertebral Motion Analysis “VMA” product. The VMA is now licensed for sale in Canada, expanding...

Centinel Spine launches Midline II-Ti in USA and Australia

Centinel Spine has expanded its Midline II-Ti product range—a Ti-Active coated, no-profile, anterior lumbar integrated interbody device—in the USA and Australia. Midline II-Ti is the...

US FDA clears Interventional Spine’s lordotic Opticage

The US Food and Drug Administration has cleared Interventional Spine’s 80 lumbar lordotic Opticage expandable intervertebral body fusion device The lordotic 80 Opticage is a...

Vertebral Technologies launches InterLink pedicle screw system

The first InterLink product is a pedicle fixation system. The system is made in the USA and includes of 22 polyaxial pedicle screws, 19...

Five-year data suggest limited cervical disc arthroplasty benefits

Two presentations at the annual conference of the International Society for the Advancement of Spinal Society (6–8 April; Las Vegas, USA) have revealed potential...

Low back pain’s “subtle threat” to developing countries’ healthcare systems is...

Rates of low back pain in the developing world have surpassed those of the developed world, with its prevalence growing in urban populations. A...

CE mark granted to Mainstay Medical for ReActiv8

Mainstay Medical International has received CE mark approval for ReActiv8, its proprietary implantable neurostimulation system designed to treat disabling chronic low back pain. According to...

Nuvasive launches AttraX putty in USA

NuVasive has added the AttraX putty to its US biologics range. AttraX Putty is a next-generation, synthetic bone graft product indicated for use as an...

Implanet launches Jazz Claw implant

 Implanet has been granted US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) and CE mark in Europe to market its new Jazz Claw implant. Jazz Claw...

Medtech Rosa Spine used in Spain for first time

The first surgical operation with the Rosa Spine (Medtech) in Spain has taken place. The procedure, which was performed at Hospital La Fe of...

Medtronic launches Spine Essentials system in the USA

Medtronic has launched the Spine Essentials platform in the USA. This is a new platform of spinal implants and instruments designed to make the...

Boston Scientific receives US FDA approval for Precision Montage MRI spinal...

Boston Scientific Corporation has launched the Precision Montage MRI spinal cord stimulator system after receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)....

iMIA results mirror INSITE for SI-Bone’s iFuse minimally invasive sacroiliac joint...

The European Spine Journal has published six-month results from iMIA (iFuse Implant System Minimally Invasive Arthrodesis). iMIA is a randomised controlled trial conducted in Europe to measure the safety and...

FDA grants Orthofix 510(k) clearance for Forza PTC interbody spacer system

Orthofix International has received US Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance, and announced the US limited market launch of the Forza PTC (PEEK titanium...

K2M Ravine research to be presented at Spineweek 2016

Research on K2M’s Ravine lateral access system is to be presented at the SpineWeek 2016 Annual Meeting (May 16-20, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore). "The Ravine...

Preauthorisation denials have a “significant negative impact” on patient care, say...

The International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS) has released the results of a surgical preauthorisation survey of its membership, conducted by...

SI-Bone SIFI data to be released through YODA open access project

With the ultimate goal of fostering transparency and improving the health of patients, the Yale University Open Data Access (YODA) project has entered an...

Life Spine announces first cases for ProLift system

Initial cases with the ProLift expandable interbody system, which restores disc height, in-situ, for minimally invasive PLIF, TLIF and oblique approaches, have been successfully...

Spinal surgery is “entirely failing” to address sexual health

NSpine is surveying female patients to investigate the effects of anterior spinal surgery with regards to scars, sexual function and relationships as part of...

First surgeries performed using Safe Orthopaedics’ SteriSpineCC products

The first surgeries using Safe Orthpaedics’ new SteriSpineCC range for cervical vertebrae surgeries have gone ahead successfully. Designed for single use, the SteriSpineCC kit is...

Hundredth procedure performed with MedTech’s Rosa Spine

One hundred spinal surgeries have successfully been performed with MedTech’s Rosa Spine robotic-assistive device for minimally-invasive surgery of the spine. Surgeries using Rosa Spine have...

US FDA clears Camber Spine’s Enza ALIF device

Camber Spine Technologies has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Enza zero profile anterior interbody fusion...

TranS1 announces AxiaLIF procedure could save hospitals US$3,500 per procedure

TranS1 has announced that its axial lumbar interbody fusion (AxiaLIF) procedure has been shown to provide estimated savings of US$3,500 compared to transforaminal lumber...

Tenth EOS system acquired by US Shriners Hospitals for Children

EOS imaging has sold a 10th EOS system to the Shriners Hospitals for Children Network in the United States, to be installed in Los...

SpinalCyte receives US patent for spinal disc tissue engineering

SpinalCyte has been issued US Patent number 9,320,776, "Methods And Compositions For Repair Of Cartilage Using An In Vivo Bioreactor." The technology described in the...

CoreLink launches Entasis sacroiliac joint fusion system

CoreLink has launched the Entasis sacroiliac joint fusion system in the USA. The system is designed to deliver autograft in an innovative way, and promote...

Spineology releases Palisade system in USA

Spineology has announced the full US market release of its Palisade pedicular fixation system. The Palisade pedicular fixation system is designed to minimise surgical invasiveness...

SpineGuard to launch PediGuard Threaded DSG device at SpineWeek 2016

SpineGuard Pediguard
SpineGuard is to launch its new PediGuard Threaded device commercially during the 2016 SpineWeek meeting in Singapore. According to a company release, this launch...

Medtech announces first US Rosa Spine surgery

The first US surgical operation using the Rosa Spine system (MedTech) has been performed at Miami Valley Hospital (Dayton, USA). Miami Valley Hospital was the...

US FDA clears Intelligent Implant Systems two-level Revolution components

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance to the two-level thoraco-lumbar components of the Revolution spinal system from Intelligent Implant...

AsTris 1.0 introduced at American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians 2016...

The patented AsTris 1.0 spine simulator (BioTras) has been launched at the 18th annual American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) conference. The product...

The incidence of position-related neuropraxia in patients undergoing spine surgery

Winner of the Sanford J Larson Award, Gurpreet Surinder Gandhoke presented his research, Incidence of Position Related Neuropraxia in 4,489 Consecutive Patients Undergoing Spine...

BRAF alteration status and the histone H3F3A gene K27M mutation segregate...

Winner of the Brian D Silber Award, Ganesh Mani Shankar, presented his research, BRAF Alteration Status and the Histone H3F3A Gene K27M Mutation Segregate...

Safe and reproducible reduction technique demonstrates significant reduction of high grade...

Neurological injury, pseudoarthrosis and progressive deformity are just some of the risks associated with the surgical management of high grade spondylolisthesis in young patients....

Gunnar BJ Andersson named chairman of International Advocates for Spine Patients

Orthopaedic spine surgeon Gunnar BJ Andersson, has taken the position of chairman of the Board of Directors of International Advocates for Spine Patients (IASP),...

Three-dimensional printing for spinal implants

One of the most exciting areas of technology for spine is probably 3D printing which allows for the creation of virtually anything that can...

The coming year for NASS

Christopher Bono (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, USA) has been appointed as North American Spine Society (NASS) president for 2015-16. He talks to Spinal...

SI-Bone iFuse passes 20,000 surgeries milestone

SI-Bone Ifuse
SI-Bone’s iFuse has now been used in over 20,000 procedures worldwide by more than 1,100 surgeons since its initial launch in early 2009. According to...

Sixth Hospital Corporation of America facility installs Mazor Robotics Renaissance system

Mazor Robotics has installed a Renaissance guidance system at Mercy Hospital in Miami, USA. Mercy Hospital is the sixth Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)-affiliated...

Spinal Elements granted 50th US patent

Spinal Elements has been granted its 50th US patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Spinal Elements’ US patent portfolio encompasses a...

RTI Surgical launches Release laminoplasty fixation system

RTI Surgical has launched of the Release Laminoplasty Fixation System. The system is designed to provide an efficient, streamlined surgical experience, allowing for central...

Pinnacle spine group granted Chinese patent for InFill fusion technology

The Chinese Patent Office has granted a patent to Pinnacle Spine Group for its InFill fusion technology. According to a press release, the Chinese Patent...

NuVasive launches five products at AANS 2016

NuVasive has launched five new surgical solutions at the 84th American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Scientific Meeting, being held April 30 to...

Favourable clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction for Medtronic’s Prestige LP disc...

Seven-year follow-up data for the two-level application of the Prestige LP cervical disc (Medtronic) has shown favourable clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction for the...

FDA approves Medicrea’s patient-specific UNiD cervical rod

The US Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) has approved the UNiD cervical rod for spinal surgery, when secured by their PASS OCT posterior cervical...

Lattice Biologics to launch three matrix-assisted regeneration products

Lattice Biologics is to launch three new products using its patent-pending matrix-assisted regeneration (MAR) platform; MarBrane and MarGraft and MarCell. "With the advent of the...

Fourth Invivo Therapeutics INSPIRE study patient improves AIS grade

InVivo Therapeutics has announced that the sixth-implanted patient in the INSPIRE study (InVivo Study of Probable Benefit of the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold for Safety and...

Genesys Spine Binary system wins Iron A’ Design Award

Genesys Spine’s Binary anterior cervical plating system has been awarded the Iron A’ Design Award in the category of Scientific Instruments, Medical Devices and...

Canadian patent granted to SpinalCyte for spinal disc tissue engineering

SpinalCyte has been issued a Canadian patent for their technology, focused on regrowth of the spinal disc nucleus using human dermal fibroblasts. The technology described...

Low back pain injuries enhanced by psychological and social stress

Underlining injuries associated with low back pain are often enhanced by psychological and social stressors, write the authors of a perspective published online by...

Stryker’s Spine division debuts 3D-printed Tritanium posterior lumbar cage

Stryker’s Spine division has introduced the Tritanium posterior lumbar (PL) cage, a 3D-printed intervertebral body fusion device designed to aid in lumbar spinal fixation...

Titan Spine appoints Ragan E Cheney as vice president of General...

Titan Spine has appointed of Ragan E Cheney as vice president of the General Counsel. Cheney’s main responsibility will be to protect Titan Spine’s...

Wenzel Spine announces full US availability of VariLift-LX

Wenzel Spine has announced the full commercial availability of the VariLift-LX system throughout the USA. VariLift-LX represents the next generation of Wenzel Spine’s expandable stand-alone...

Domagoj Coric joins ISASS board

Domagoj Coric, a neurological spinal surgeon from Charlotte, USA, has become the newest member of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery...

Association between baseline affective disorders and 30-day readmission found in elective...

Psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety, have been independently associated with higher all-cause 30-day readmission rates after elective spine surgery, in research presented...

Abbott to acquire St Jude Medical

Abbott is set to acquire St Jude Medical, expanding its portfolio to cover cardiovascular markets such as atrial fibrillation, structural heart and heart failure...

Motion trumps fusion at NASS debate

The treatment of many common spinal conditions by procedures designed to preserve motion or by the more conventional fusion was the subject of a...

Surgery using new stem cell technology from Vivex Biomedical performed in...

William Tally (Athens Orthopedic Clinic, Greece) has performed the first spinal surgery using a new stem cell technology aimed at offering a long term...

New research offers insight into genetic explanations of scoliosis

People with scoliosis are now closer to a genetic explanation for their condition. According to a report, an overactive gene called ladybird homeobox 1...

SpinalCyte announces final human dermal fibroblast transplantation phase two results

SpinalCyte has announced the final results of its phase two animal studies for transplantation of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) for intervertebral disc degeneration. Previously reported was a...

CE mark granted to Ortho Kinematics for Vertebral Motion Analysis

Ortho Kinematics (OKI) has received CE mark approval for its lead product, Vertebral Motion Analysis “VMA”. Prior to securing CE mark approval, the VMA had...

Life Spine announces first clinical cases of Gruve anterior cervical plate...

Life Spine has announced that the first clinical cases of the Gruve anterior cervical plate system have been performed. James J Lynch, founder of SpineNevada...

Amedica signs Chinese silicon nitride distribution agreement

Amedica has agreed a partnership with Shandong Weigao Orthopedic Device Company, a subsidiary of Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer Company, a medical device company...

ISASS presents awards, announces Hee Kit Wong as president, during 2016...

Over 850 spine surgeons, scientists, researchers, and exhibitors from more than 40 countries attended the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS)...

Two-year results show long term benefits for SI-Bone iFuse implant system

Two-year results from SIFI (Sacroiliac Joint Fusion with iFuse Implant System)—a prospective multicentre clinical trial of SI joint fusion—have been published in The International...

Modic changes associated with low back pain in large population-based study

One of the largest studies ever performed addressing subchondral bone marrow lesions, or “Modic changes” of the spine visible on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),...

Marek Szpalski

Inspired by Alexander Fleming, Marek Szpalski wanted to become a medical researcher. After becoming disillusioned with a life in the laboratory, he embarked on...

Race and insurance status may be significant predictors of mortality following...

Recent literature has associated posterior-only approaches to the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy with increased mortality. According to a paper presented at the 2016...

Medtronic criticises Minneapolis Star Tribune Infuse article

Medtronic has claimed that a recent article published by the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Minneapolis, USA)—criticising the company’s handling of data related to its Infuse...

SpineSource launches expandable L-Varlock lumbar cage in USA

SpineSource has launched the L-Varlock lumbar cage in the USA. According to a company release, the L-Varlock is the only expandable interbody that can...

SteriSpine receives Australian regulatory approval, Safe Orthopaedics reaches distribution agreement for...

Australian regulatory authorities have approved Safe Orthopaedics’ SteriSpine ranges, which are to be distributed in Australia and New Zealand, following a distribution agreement with...

NuVasive launch Integrated Global Alignment (iGA) platform at BritSpine 2016

NuVasive a  has  launched the Integrated Global Alignment (iGA) platform in the UK at BritSpine (Nottingham, UK). Paul Kosters, NuVasive’s vice president of Europe, Middle...

Interventional Spine launches new line of Opticage lumbar interbody fusion products

Interventional Spine has launched a new line of products, which were showcased at this year’s International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS)...

Premia Spine launches ProMIS fixation system at ISASS, reports first cases...

Premia Spine has launched the ProMIS fixation system with its Advanced MIS screw placement at the 2016 International Society for the Advancement of Spine...

New role identified for scars at the site of injured spinal...

Previously injured axons (red) can grow through a dense astrocyte scar (green) in the presence of molecules that stimulate growth (blue). According to a new...

RTI Surgical launches of deformity instrumentation for Streamline TL spinal fixation...

RTI Surgical has launched new deformity instrumentation for its Streamline TL spinal fixation system for complex adult deformities or curvatures. The instruments were designed...

Jazz Lock receives FDA 510(k) clearance and CE mark

Implanet has been granted US Food and Drug Administration 510k clearance and CE marking  in Europe to market its new Jazz Lock implant. Jazz Lock...

First EOI FLXfit 3D expandable cage implantation takes place in Las...

The first procedure using the FLXfit expandable cage from Expanding Orthopedics (EOI) has been performed by William D Smith at the University Medical Center...

First US Medtech Rosa Spine sale made to Miami Valley Hospital...

Medtech has made its first US Rosa Spine sale to Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, USA. The hospital is a 970-bed medical facility, which received the...

DSM Dyneema Purity fibres meet revised ASTM F2848-16 specifications

DSM Biomedical has announced that its medical-grade Dyneema Purity fibres fully meet the requirements of ASTM International’s revised standard F2848-16 for medical-grade ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene...

New research shows that carbohydrate-binding galectin-1 controls osteoarthritic inflammation

Until now, the role of galectins and their docking sites in osteoarthritis was largely unknown. In a study recently published in the Journal of...

Brandon Arthurs named as vice president of research and development for...

TranS1 has named Brandon Arthurs vice president of research and development. In this role, Arthurs, a certified professional engineer, will be responsible for leading...

FDA approves EOS imaging’s spineEOS 3D planning software

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved spineEOS, an online 3D planning software for spine surgery based on EOS stereo-radiographic 2D/3D imaging...

K2M Mesa Mini and Denali Mini systems receive additional FDA clearance...

K2M has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for expanded indications of its Mesa Mini and Denali Mini spinal...

AsTris 1.0 spine simulator to be debuted at 2016 American Society...

The newly patented AsTris 1.0, designed to help doctors practice for spinal injections, is to make its debut Dallas, USA, at the 2016 American...

The Spine Hospital of Louisiana first US facility to install Toshiba...

The Spine Hospital of Louisiana at The NeuroMedical Center, Baton Rouge, USA, has become the first hospital in the USA to install the Ultimax-i FPD...

First four patients enrolled in expanded clinical study of sacroiliac joint...

The first four patients have been enrolled in the expanded Evolusion (EVSI) clinical study. This prospective, 40-site, 250-patient trial will evaluate long-term fusion and...

Stryker acquires SafeWire product portfolio

Stryker’s Spine division has acquired use of the SafeWire product portfolio, including the Y-Wire guidewire and Tiger Jamshidi Needle Family for use in minimally...

Medovex enters into international distribution agreement with Innosurge

Medovex has entered into an international distribution agreement with Innosurge, a supplier of orthopaedic surgery equipment. The agreement covers the distribution of its DenerveXSystem...

OrtoWay extends usage of hydraulic OrtoWell distractor tool

According to a company release, the OrtoWell distractor instrument for spinal surgery from OrtoWay can now be used by surgeons in connection with spinal...

X-Spine recieves FDA clearance for Xspan laminoplasty fixation system

X-Spine—a subsidiary of Xtant Medical—has been granted clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration for the Xspan laminoplasty fixation system. The Xspan device is...

FDA clears Renovis Surgical 3D-printed titanium standalone cervical cage

Renovis Surgical technologies has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the Tesera SC, a porous titanium cervical...

Bone Therapeutics reports initial success in its Preob safety and efficacy...

Bone Therapeutics has announced the 12-month efficacy results from the first cohort of seven patients treated with Preob in its phase IIA severe osteoporosis...

Long-term clinical results show superiority of two-level cervical total disc replacement...

Five-year clinical results have shown cervical total disc replacement to offer a superior alternative to anterior discectomy and fusion for treatment of two-level symptomatic...

Aging diminishes post-injury spinal cord regeneration

Older Americans are increasingly active, and this lifestyle shift has contributed to the rise in average age of a person experiencing a spinal cord...

SpinalCyte announces results from phase II human dermal fibroblast disc regeneration...

SpinalCyte has announced the preliminary results of its Phase II Animal Studies for Spinal Disc Height Improvement. The study began in 2014, and is led...

Seventh patient enrolled in InVivo INSPIRE study

A seventh patient has been enrolled into the INSPIRE study (InVivo Study of Probable Benefit of the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold for Safety and Neurologic Recovery...

Researchers direct stem cell-derived neurons to regenerate tissue in damaged rat...

Writing in the March 28 issue of Nature Medicine, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare...

FDA clears Stimwave’s miniature StimQ peripheral nerve stimulator

Stimwave has begun to market the StimQ peripheral nerve stimulator (PNS) system for the relief of severe intractable chronic pain of peripheral origin. The system...

Fusion of multiple lumbar segments associated with sacroiliac joint pain

The number of segments involved in lumbar and lumbosacral procedures has been shown to affect the incidence of sacroiliac joint pain, in a study...

Amedica 3D-prints silicon nitride structures by robotic deposition

Amedica has announced its first fabrication of complex, three-dimensional structures by a 3D printing process called robotic deposition, or robocasting. The final products have...

Spine Adverse Events Severity system can be implemented in European populations

According to a study published in The Spine Journal, the Spine Adverse Events Severity (SAVES) system—a recording instrument created to comprehensively record the mobility...

Clarifying the present status of stem cell use in spinal surgery

The use of stem cells in spinal surgery was a focus of discussion at both the Brussels International Spine Symposium (BISS; 20-21 November, Brussels,...

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, USA, establishes positive coverage policy...

Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Michigan, USA, the largest commercial insurer in the state of Michigan, has issued a positive medical policy statement...

EOS imaging receives Chinese FDA marketing approval

EOS imaging has received approval from the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) to market the EOS system in China. The EOS system can now...

FDA proposes ban on most powdered medical gloves

The US Food and Drug Administration has announced a proposal to ban most powdered gloves in the USA. While use of these gloves is...

FDA proposes rule change for posterior cervical screw systems

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a rule change with regard to posterior cervical screw systems.   The FDA wishes to classify these...

SpineGuard and Orthopediatrics annonce national distribution agreement for US pediatric institutions

SpineGuard has announced a national stocking distribution agreement with OrthoPediatrics for the exclusive commercialisation of its PediGuard probes in US paediatric institutions. “We are delighted...

Titan Spine executive appointed to FDA-sponsored medical device network

Jeff Dunkel, Titan Spine vice president for Strategic Partnering, has been appointed to the Executive Operations Committee of the Medical Device Epidemiology Network Initiative...

Orthofix appoints Michael E Paolucci to Board of Directors

Orthofix has appointed Michael E Paolucci to its Board of Directors and its Compensation Committee. A human resource executive, Paolucci has more than 20 years...

Amendia launches Incorporate corpectomy vertebral body replacement system

Amendia has launched its new corpectomy device, the Incorporate, commercially in the USA. The device is intended to provide surgeons with a safe and...

Precision Spine releases Reform modular and HA-coated pedicle screw systems

Precision Spine has announced the launch of its Reform modular pedicle screw system and Reform HA-coated pedicle screw system. The Reform system features a cobalt...

Implanet initiates prospective, multicentre Jazz band clinical study

Implanet has started a prospective and multicentre clinical study, designed to document the outcomes of the Jazz band in adult degenerative and adult deformity...

Vibration technique could improve MRI utilisation

A new study has shown that vibrating the spine may reveal more than magnetic resonance imaging when it comes to treating back pain. Teaming...

BioTras receives US patent for AsTris 1.0 spine simulator

  BioTras has received a US patent for AsTris 1.0 (US Patent No. 9,275,556) medical training simulator that for training in interventional pain management. The...

Medicrea UNiD reaches 500 surgery milestone

Medicrea’s UNiD lab services have now been used in more than 500 surgeries worldwide. The services include a real-time support team to surgeons in...

Rainbow Medical to collaborate with Johnson & Johnson Innovation on degenerative...

Rainbow Medical is to collaborate with Medos International Sarl, part of the DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson. The collaboration will be focused...

US National Institutes of Health awards second research grant to Nanovis

Nanovis has received a grant award from the National Institute on Aging, part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). To date, Nanovis’...

Medtech makes first Rosa Spine sale in the USA

Medtech has sold its first Rosa Spine robotic surgery system in the USA to Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, USA. Miami Valley Hospital is a 970-bed...

Primary medical specialties co-leading development of spine patient registry

Together, the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) are creating a Spine Patient Registry,...

Personalised rods may improve outcomes, cut surgery time

Advances in medical imaging and implant manufacturing are making it possible to tailor an implant to the patient receiving it, according to a press...

Women report neck pain more frequently than men

Women reported neck pain due to cervical disc degeneration at 1.38 times the rate of men in a study of adult patients treated at...

First implantation of Wenzel Spine VariLift-LX takes place in USA

The first implantation of the VariLift-LX system (Wenzel Spine) has taken place. The company is to begin a limited release of the system, following...

NuVasive receives Japanese regulatory approval for Reline posterior fixation technology

NuVasive has received regulatory Shonin approval for its Reline posterior fixation technology in Japan. According to a company release, this approval will prepare the...

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital named as new clinical site for INSPIRE...

The Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, USA, has been added to the list of clinical sites now participating in Invivo’s INSPIRE study. Thomas Jefferson University...

Life Spine Prolift expandable interbody system receives FDA clearance

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given 510(k) marketing clearance to Life Spine for the Prolift expandable interbody system. The all-titanium Prolift system...

NuVasive to acquire Brazilian distributor, Mega Surgical

NuVasive is to acquire Mega Surgical, the only Brazilian distributor of NuVasive products. The acquisition, which has been definitively agreed, is expected to close...

Fifth patient treated in INSPIRE study improves AIS grade at six...

According to a six-moth post-implant update from Invivo Therapeutics, the fifth patient to be enrolled in the INSPIRE study has achieved an improvement from...

Medtronic launches Avila interbody fusion device in Europe

Medtronic has launched the Avila interbody fusion device for levels L2-S1 in open and minimally invasive anterior lumbar interbody fusion and oblique lateral interbody...

Xtant Medical granted CE marking for Aranax and Irix-A

Xtant Medical has received CE mark for its Aranax and Irix-A spinal devices, both of were presented at the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons...

Opinion: The start-up and running of a vertebroplasty (spinal augmentation) programme

By Professor Peter Munk, MD and Anthony Ryan, MD Most interventional radiologists are well aware that spinal augmentation has taken...

H Michael Mayer

  Spinal News International talks to Professor H Michael Mayer about his views on the future of spine surgery, the current problems facing...

Charles Branch

  Dr Charles Branch, President of the North America Spine Society (NASS), talks about the importance of spine societies, new technologies and the...