SpineVision has recently launched the FlexPlus motion preservation system, and a 2.5mm-diameter version of the PediGuard. The FlexPlus system offers selective options in a single, posterior lumbar pedicle screw system - from fusion to dynamic stabilisation - adaptable to the different stages of the disc degeneration cascade. The clear advantage of FlexPlus is that it offers various degrees of stabilisation: rigid, hybrid and dynamic, providing spine surgeons with more options in the treatment of lumbar disc diseases and allowing Selective Segmental Stabilisation (3S) during the procedure. According to Professor Le Huec, orthopaedic surgeon, Bordeaux University Hospital, France, as the disc degenerative process is mainly genetically driven there is a place for spine restabilisation in the aging spine. The main indications are dedicated to restabilisation after decompression in dynamic or static lumbar stenosis to prevent kyphotic imbalance. Restoration of sagittal balance and prevention of undue stress on adjacent levels are the best way to avoid adjacent segment disease in transitional zone. Providing surgeons with the possibility to choose multiple grades of flexibility, the system allows dynamic restoration according to each spine’s expected work and load, explained Dr Antonio Marques Baptista, neurosurgeon, Gaia Hospital Porto, Portugal. Perhaps the biggest advantages of the FlexPlus device are its versatility and ease of use, added Dr Ely Ashkenazy, neurosurgeon, Israel Spine Center, Tel Aviv, Israel. For example, FlexPlus may be used as a platform for dynamic fixation in patients who need to have their disc movement restrained but who do not need a fusion. Additionally, the implantation of FlexPlus requires no special instrumentation or protocol. According to the company, FlexPlus offers several types of rods composed of titanium and polymer, all fully compatible with P.L.U.S. and X-P.L.U.S. screws and instruments, and can be used in combination with PediGuard for optimal placement of the pedicle screws. In addition, SpineVision has launched a new 2.5mm diameter version of PediGuard, the world’s first and only wireless freehand drilling instrument to detect inadvertent breach in the pedicle, thus resolving the welldocumented challenge of placing vertebral screws safely within the spine, without having to change the surgeon’s technique, and reducing X-ray exposure to patients and operating room staff. The company reports that until now, PediGuard had been available with two different shapes of tip, a four-edged and a Tri tip, both in 3.2mm and 4.0mm diameters. The feedback from surgeon users has shown a clear preference for the sharper Tri tip, and a strong enthusiasm for the development of a smaller diameter. The use of PediGuard will now be possible for surgeons wishing to use a smaller diameter tip, either because it corresponds to their surgical habits, or because they are facing most challenging pedicles, for example in adult cervical or paediatric thoracic cases. According to Julian Mackenzie, SpineVision’s CEO, the 2.5mmdiameter Tri tip PediGuard has great potential, as a unique solution in cases where the size, or the distortion of the pedicles, makes it even more difficult to safely place pedicle screws. FlexPlus is not available in the USA.
