Medtronic has announced that its new device for performing osteotomies in spinal deformity surgery—the ReDuX Plier instrument—has received the CE mark.
According to a company press release, the ReDuX Plier was developed by Medtronic European’s Product Development Office based in Tolochenaz, Switzerland after an original invention by Jean Charles Le Huec, chief of the Spine Unit and chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at the Bordeaux University Hospital, France.
The press release reported that the ReDuX Plier was been specially designed for use during osteotomies, and most specifically in pedicle substraction osteotomy.
Surgical procedures which remove bone from the spine, such as a pedicle substraction osteotomy, can be extensive and complicated. Problems can include the collapse of vertebrae when compression is applied to close the two sides left after the removal of bone. As the ReDuX Plier is connected directly to the implants, it aims to protect the front of the vertebrae from collapse by driving the kinematic of the closure and dissipating stress onto the bone screws. The press release state that the ReDuX Plier also provides a progressive correction, ensuring a more controlled procedure at every stage of the operation.
Speaking at the SFCR (Société Française de Chirurgie Rachidienne) congress in Nice (13–15 June 2013), Le Huec commented: “The pedicle substraction osteotomy procedure is an extremely powerful option for people with severe spinal curvatures, but the potential for complications has historically been very high. The instruments currently available were often too crude for the complex procedure, so working with Medtronic we have been able to produce specially-designed instruments which give surgeons greater control than ever before.”
