The first cases using the Triojection system to treat spinal disc herniations in Germany were recently performed, Minimus Spine Inc. has announced. The cases were performed by Thomas Vogl, (Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, J.W. Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany) at the University of Frankfurt.
The Triojection system, patented by manufacturer Minimus Spine Inc., produces ozone gas for use in relieving the pain associated with a disc herniation in the lower back.
Vogl successfully completed 10 Triojection cases in December 2017. Speaking of the system, he commented: “It is an elegant design and simple to use. I particularly appreciate how Triojection is designed for safety and consistency.”
“Triojection is unique in that it creates the ozone inside a sterile syringe and simultaneously measures the concentration of ozone within the syringe. This product advances the state of the art and gives me a new level of confidence in what is actually administered to the patient’s disc. Early results have been favourable and I intend to continue with Triojection in my practice.”
Treatment with ozone is not FDA approved and the Triojection System is not available in the US. However, ozone has been used outside the US to treat disc herniations for over 15 years, with over 40 peer-reviewed papers documenting more than 8,000 patients. The University of Frankfurt has been performing spinal ozone injections for more than 10 years.
In 2012, Vogl and colleagues published a key paper describing the reduction of disc volume following intradiscal ozone injection in 283 subjects with disc herniation. Vogl is a listed author on more than 500 peer-reviewed articles related to interventional radiology and currently sits on the editorial boards for the journals European Radiology and Academic Radiology.
David Hooper, CEO of Minimus Spine, added, “We are excited to have Dr. Vogl as one of our earliest adopters. He is a leader in his field and his support validates our belief that Triojection sets a new standard for spinal ozone injections.”
A multi-centre study comparing the early clinical outcomes following non-surgical treatment with Triojection to surgical discectomy is ongoing. Alexis Kelekis (Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece) presented an update of the study at the 2017 Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe conference (16th – 20th September, Copenhagen, Denmark), where the abstract was recognised as “featured paper”.
