Medtronic has launched the new Kyphon Xpander II IBT System, which includes the Kyphon Xpander II Inflatable Bone Tamp (IBT) and the Kyphon Inflation Syringe.
The system, an upgrade to the popular Kyphon Xpander IBT, is used for treatment of vertebral compression fractures via the company’s proprietary Kyphon Balloon Kyphoplasty procedure.
From the announcement:
The new balloon material used in Kyphon Xpander II IBT System offers control during inflation and greater lifting force than the Kyphon Xpander IBT.* It is combined with the Kyphon Inflation Syringe, which provides ease of use to customers for use during a balloon kyphoplasty procedure. The Kyphon Xpander II IBT has been in physician preference testing since November 2010 in more than 180 cases throughout the United States.
During the minimally invasive balloon kyphoplasty procedure, a needle and tube are used to create a small pathway into the fractured bone, generally on both sides of the vertebral body. Orthopedic balloons are inserted and then inflated inside the fractured bone in an attempt to return it to its correct position. Inflation of the balloons creates cavities in the vertebral body that are filled with bone cement, forming an “internal cast” to support the surrounding bone and stabilize the fracture.
Balloon kyphoplasty differs from other surgical therapies for VCFs such as vertebroplasty, which is designed to stabilize the fracture without correcting vertebral body deformity or providing a controlled fill for bone cement distribution. With balloon kyphoplasty, inflation of the balloons compacts the cancellous bone, which may fill fracture lines. The presence of the space also allows a more viscous bone cement to be injected under low manual pressure.
Press release: Medtronic Announces U.S. Launch of New Inflatable Bone Tamp and Syringe System for Treatment of Vertebral Compression Fractures