VertiFlex has announced that Eric Grigsby, Napa Surgery Center, USA, has successfully treated the first patient with the Totalis direct decompression system.
According to a company press release, the Totalis direct decompression system is a unique set of surgical instruments designed specifically for performing minimally invasive direct decompressions of the lumbar spine. The system uses VertiFlex’s proprietary interspinous access platform and includes both reusable and disposable instruments to treat spinal conditions such as lumbar stenosis. The procedure involves a small single midline incision and sequential dilation to a working cannula about the size of a dime. Specialty instruments designed for precision and safety are then used to remove the targeted tissue. The procedure provides physicians the ability to remove ligament, bone, and facet capsule material to address both central and lateral recess stenosis. This broad decompression involves minimal collateral tissue disruption and can be performed under local anaesthesia. The Totalis system was 510(k) cleared by the FDA in November, 2012.
“One of our biggest challenges in treating spinal stenosis is removal of the ligament which causes narrowing of the spinal canal, without further destabilizing the spine,” commented Grigsby. “The Totalis system allows a more thorough resection of the offending ligament than other minimally invasive options, and still leaves the structural elements of the lumbar spine intact. It’s a very significant advancement in the treatment of spinal stenosis, and the evolution of minimally invasive spinal surgery overall.”
