Medtronic announced that it received the CE Mark for the company’s new ReDux Plier device that helps orthopedic surgeons improve how they perform pedicle substraction osteotomy (PSO) procedures. People with a sagittal imbalance have a incorrect spinal shape that can be both debilitating and painful, and PSO surgery is often an option, but one that carries risks. Medtronic’s ReDux Plier helps perform these procedures while keeping vertebrae from being damaged when applying corrective forces to the spine.
The device is now being made available across Europe, but it’s yet to receive FDA approval for U.S. distribution.
More info about the ReDux Plier according to Medtronic:
Adult spinal deformity poses many challenges to spine surgeons. In particular, a substantial imbalance in the sagittal plane sometimes cannot be corrected solely with a standard arthrodesis procedure. In these cases, spinal osteotomies must be performed to restore balance in both the sagittal and the coronal planes.
During a PSO a triangular wedge of bone is removed from the middle of a vertebrae, allowing it to be angled backwards to re-align the spine by increasing the backward curve (lordosis) in the lower (lumbar) spine. This creates a more upright posture and relieves pain.
Surgical procedures which remove bone from the spine, such as PSO, can be extensive and complicated. Problems can include the collapse of vertebrae when compression is applied to close the two sides left after the removal of bone. As the ReDuX Plier is connected directly to the implants, it aims to protect the front of the vertebrae from collapse by driving the kinematic of the closure and dissipating stress onto the bone screws.
ReDuX Plier also provides a progressive correction, ensuring a more controlled procedure at every stage of the operation.