A German spine clinic has reported the successful application and ease of use of OrtoWay’s Ortowell for lateral minimally invasive fixation in a complicated surgical corpectomy, according to a company release.
The OrtoWell device was used for the first time at the renowned Dreifaltigkeits-Krankenhaus Clinic in Cologne, Germany. The CE-marked device, now approved for most anterior-approach surgeries, was used to position an implant in a 39-year-old male patient suffering from inflammation in the L1 and L2 vertebra.
Developed in Sweden by a group of biomaterial and spinal experts, the OrtoWell device is intended to offer time-saving possibilities for surgeons, giving them more freedom and supporting fixation of the vertebra, according to the release. The instrument fixates the vertebra in a unique way that allows for less complicated insertion of implants. It can be used with any prosthesis. It is currently approved in Europe (CE mark) and the US (Class 1 medical device), and was recently extended to include spinal tumour surgery.
“When replacing vertebra in the lumbar spine, it is important to have tools that are easy to use and support accurate positioning and holding strength,” says Biren Desai, the spinal surgeon who carried out the procedure. “Not only did the OrtoWell device help simplify the operation but I was impressed by the very strong, smooth hydraulic operation.”
The OrtoWell distractor is a hydraulically-powered system that separates and holds apart vertebral bodies in the spinal column during anterior surgery. It consists of some non-disposable parts (distractor unit, spanner unit, retractors and frame, tools) as well as disposable components (tube unit, gauge, hooks, bone screws). The use of gentle, yet powerful incremental hydraulic force to prevent the vertebrae from collapsing or moving during operations is beneficial to surgeons, according to the release, since it facilitates correct positioning of spinal prosthetics such as disc implants and anterior lumbar interbody fusion cages.
