Zimmer Holdings announced the launch of its next generation of the Wallis stabilisation system in Europe and Asia Pacific, the UniWallis. This system preserves the spacer controls movements in extension and the band controls movements in flexion of the Wallis implants. In addition, this new system offers surgeons the ability to perform surgery from a unilateral approach, preserving the supraspinous ligament.
Since the introduction of the Wallis system in 2000, feedback collected from surgeons revealed the need for a device that maintains all of the clinical advantages of the Wallis system, provides improved ease of use and offers a more anatomy-sparing procedure. Steve Healy, president of Zimmer Spine commented, “The launch of the new UniWallis system offers surgeons a redesigned and reinforced approach to increasing patient mobility.”
Interspinous dynamic stabilisation first appeared in 1987, establishing the need for posterior dynamic stabilisation to treat lower back pain due to degenerative instability. Today, the UniWallis implant combines all of the advantages of the original Wallis device but permits even more preservation and adaptability to the patient’s anatomy.
The UniWallis system has not received clearance from the FDA and is not available for sale in the United States.
