Medtronic has announced that it has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of patient-specific UNiD Rods for use with its CD Horizon Solera Voyager and Infinity occipitocervical upper thoracic (OCT) spinal systems.
According to Medtronic, UNiD Rods are designed for each patient and industrially pre-bent prior to surgery to accurately match an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven pre-operative surgical plan, which is created with UNiD Adaptive Spine Intelligence (ASI) technology to precisely align patients’ spines, reducing the risk of malalignment and associated revision surgeries.
UNiD Rods are used to treat scoliosis, trauma, tumours, and complex degenerative conditions in adults and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
The first surgery combining the CD Horizon Solera Voyager minimally invasive spinal system with patient-specific UNiD Rods in combination with the Mazor platform was performed by Gregory Poulter (OrthoIndy Hospital, Indianapolis, USA).
Poulter said: “Being able to integrate powerful complimentary technologies – AI, robotics and patient-specific implants – is the future of spine surgery and will change spine care for the better by streamlining my workflow and reducing surgical uncertainty.
“I’m not bending rods or increasing OR time with manual execution. Instead, I planned my first case with AI, selected the best hardware for my patient, executed the surgery with Mazor robotic-assisted delivery of the screws and was able to position the rod in 2.5 minutes, resulting in less blood loss and OR time and, most importantly, a predictable and precise alignment for my patient.”
