At the North American Spine Society (NASS) annual meeting in New Orleans, USA (9–11 October) DePuy Synthes Spine announced the launch of the new Synflate Vertebral Balloon as part of its portfolio of procedural solutions for the treatment osteoporosis-related fractures.
According to the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), more than 700,000 people suffer these types of fractures each year.
The announcement was made at NASS, where DePuy Synthes Spine exhibited multiple vertebral balloons and cavity creation instruments and vertebroplasty cements and needles, including the high viscosity Confidence Spinal Cement System and Vertecem II Bone Cement.
The Synflate Vertebral Balloon is semi-elastic with material stiffness that has been optimised to enhance the structural stability of the balloon during inflation, enabling controlled and predictable cavity creation. At maximum inflation volume, the Synflate Vertebral Balloon is nearly double the strength of standard elastic balloons currently available on the market, it states in a company release.
The Synflate Vertebral Balloon is available in several sizes (10mm, 15mm and 20mm), is offered with mono- or bilateral-access kits, multiple-access trocars, and can be used with bone fillers including Vertecem II and Confidence Cements.
“The Synflate Vertebral Balloon offers versatility not found in other vertebral body augmentation portfolios,” said Max Reinhardt, worldwide president, DePuy Synthes Spine. “The access kits accommodate different physician preferences and surgical approaches, and the multiple balloon sizes enable selection based on specific patient anatomy.”
Vertebral body balloon procedures are used to reduce pain and strengthen and restore the shape and height of collapsed vertebra. In the procedure, the balloon is inserted into the vertebra and inflated to attempt to restore normal bone height. The balloon is then removed and the space or cavity that was created by the inflation of the balloon is filled with special bone cement to strengthen and stabilise the bone.
If a vertebral compression fracture occurs, doctors recommend conservative treatments such as bed rest, medications and physical therapy. If those fail, vertebral body augmentation may be recommended to reduce pain and improve mobility.
