Globus Medical recently announced the launch of AERIAL, a minimally invasive expandable interspinous fixation system with independent locking plates. The expandable central core of AERIAL provides continuous distraction for indirect decompression and a customised patient fit. This is Globus Medical’s first expandable interspinous fixation system, adding to their expandable technology portfolio.
David Bomback, an orthopaedic surgeon and partner at Connecticut Neck and Back Specialists (Danbury, USA) and Sumit Das, founder and neurosurgeon with Brain and Spine Neurosurgical Institute (Johnston, USA) recently performed the first AERIAL procedures at Danbury Hospital, Danbury, USA, and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, North Providence, USA, respectively.
“AERIAL is a new, minimally invasive option for patients undergoing spinal fusion who need some additional degree of stability,” said Bomback. “It is an improvement over traditional spinous process devices because AERIAL expands to fit the interspinous space of the patient’s spine. We now have the opportunity to help more patients, especially those with spinal instability from previous procedures, scoliosis, or who have poor bone quality due to age.”
According to a press release, the easy insertion and controlled expansion of AERIAL provides a simple MIS solution for interspinous fixation. Its unique independent locking plates help adapt to varying patient anatomy by optimising spine engagement into each spinous process separately. “The ability to expand and separately fixate to each spinous process provides a customised fit to my patients,” said Das. “AERIAL™ is simple, minimally invasive, and significantly different than what is on the market.”
Indications
The AERIAL interspinous fixation is a posterior non-pedicle supplemental fixation device, intended for use at a single level in the non-cervical spine (T1-S1). It is intended for plate fixation/attachment to the spinous processes for the purpose of achieving supplemental fusion in the following conditions: degenerative disc disease (defined as back pain of discogenic origin with degeneration of the disc confirmed by history and radiographic studies), spondylolisthesis, trauma (i.e., fracture or dislocation), and/or tumour. AERIAL is intended for use with allograft or autograft bone and is not intended for stand-alone use.
