Spinal Elements has announced that the first clinical cases using the Lucent 3D lumbar interbody system have been successfully completed. The first cases were undertaken by Thomas Noh, a neurosurgeon at Hawaii Pacific Health (Honololu, USA) and Douglas Musser of Youngstown Orthopaedic Associates (Canfield, USA).
The Lucent 3D lumbar interbody system features a multi-component device manufactured in a 3D printing sequence. The resulting Lucent 3D implant is comprised of a strut-and-lattice structure with a bone graft chamber access lid which is designed to allow the surgeon to deliver a large amount of tightly packed graft inside the interbody structure, maximising the amount of graft material available for fusion.
In addition, when the access lid to the graft chamber is closed, the lid is designed to maximise surface area in contact with the vertebral endplates. Provided in both straight and curved designs, the interbody device can be placed through an open or minimally invasive surgery posterior approach.
“The Lucent 3D Interbody is a novel and useful surgical option in my practice”, said Noh. “The curved implant was easy to insert and helped to maintain lordosis. Knowing that there is tightly packed graft inside the cage provides additional confidence that a successful fusion will occur.”
Musser added: “The design and structure of the Lucent 3D cage have provided a biologic containment area that has enabled me to place more graft material than traditional posterior lumbar interbody fusion and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion cages. The Lucent 3D cage also has excellent visualisation on both A/P and lateral views when using fluoroscopy.”
Spinal Elements announced FDA clearance of the Lucent 3D system in April 2021 and expects to expand on Lucent 3D’s graft containment concept in other clinical applications.
Jason Blain, CEO of Spinal Elements, said: “We are thrilled to share this technology with the surgical community. Lucent 3D’s novel design is meant to address subsidence and the amount of bone graft material available for fusion–two clinical challenges surgeons note exist with other 3D-printed interbody devices.
“We are pleased to offer additional innovative titanium interbody devices to our expansive and best-in-class product portfolio, adding to our long tradition of innovation in material science, novel designs, and leadership. We truly can answer any need for posterior lumbar fusion and continue to build on our procedural solutions.”
