Medtronic has announced, at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons annual meeting (CNS; 19–23 October, San Francisco, USA), the launch of the first procedure that allows lateral access to the L5-S1 disc space. The Oblique Lateral Interbody Fusion 51 (OLIF51) procedure, according to a press release, eliminates the need to reposition the patient during surgery.
The press release reports that the OLIF51 procedure is an innovative procedural solution that enables reproducible lateral access to the L5-S1 disc space. “For the first time, along with the OLIF25 procedure, the surgeon community has a combination of procedures that offer an extensile approach to all levels of the lower lumbar spine in one patient positioning,” says Richard Hynes, spine surgeon at The B.A.C.K. Center in Melbourne, Florida, USA.
