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New bone marrow-derived stem cell therapy can benefit patients with degenerative disc disease

Neurosurgery researchers at UC Davis Health System have used a new, leading-edge stem cell therapy to promote the growth of bone tissue following the removal of cervical discs -- the cushions between the bones in the neck -- to relieve chronic, debilitating pain.

7 Sep 2011

New minimally invasive technique now a feasible option to treat scoliosis in teenagers

Minimally invasive surgery to treat scoliosis in teenagers is now a "feasible option," according to Vishal Sarwahi, MD, Director of Spine Deformity Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center.

31 Aug 2011

FDA approves Relievant IDE for Intracept System to treat chronic low back pain

Relievant Medsystems, Inc. today announced the company has received Food and Drug Administration approval of an Investigational Device Exemption to begin their SMART pivotal trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Intracept System for treatment of chronic low back pain.

8 Aug 2011

Roundup: State workers in Conn. get lock on retirement health funds

State employees have never warmed to the idea of having to contribute a portion of their pay to help fund their retirement health care, and one of the arguments they make against it is the history of special accounts' being used as a piggybank by legislators and governors when money is tight.

6 Aug 2011

Wenzel Spine surpasses 26,000 implantation of VariLift System

Wenzel Spine, Inc., a medical device company focused on providing less invasive, stand-alone alternatives to traditional spinal fusion, today announced that it has successfully surpassed the 26,000th implantation of its Stand-Alone VariLift Expandable Interbody Fusion Device.

14 Jul 2011

Bone fusion drug comes under scrutiny due to researchers’ vested interests

The Spine Journal has dedicated its June issue to a series of papers that carefully reject previous research supporting the use of Infuse, a controversial, but popular bone growth product commonly used in spinal fusion surgeries.

1 Jul 2011

HealthTrust, Pioneer Surgical sign new spine implant agreement

HealthTrust Purchasing Group, L.P., has awarded Pioneer Surgical Technology, Inc. a spine implant agreement, beginning June 1, 2011.

4 Jun 2011

Surgeon's choices and choice of surgeons influence hospital charges for spinal fusion surgery

Hospital charges for spinal fusion surgery in the upper spine vary considerably—with the surgeon's choice of spinal hardware being the largest source of variation, reports a study in the May 15 issue of Spine.

20 May 2011

Medtronic's English Channel swimming competition to raise awareness on ALS

In August 2011, Doug McConnell of Barrington, Illinois, expects to be the 48th person over age 50 to successfully swim across the English Channel. He will be swimming more than 21 grueling miles in memory of his father, David, who passed away from ALS.

From Medtronic 25 Apr 2011

Patients with cervical disc disease can benefit from new neck surgery

A new surgery for cervical disc disease in the neck may restore range of motion and reduce repeat surgeries in some younger patients, according to a team of neurosurgeons from the University of California, San Francisco and several other medical centers that analyzed three large, randomized clinical trials comparing two different surgeries.

12 Apr 2011

Teenagers with scoliosis can benefit from new generation spine implants

Teenagers who undergo spine fusion for scoliosis using the newest surgical techniques can expect to be doing well 10 years after surgery, according to a Hospital for Special Surgery study published online ahead of print in the TK issue of the journal Spine.

6 Apr 2011

Artificial disc replacement may provide better long-term results at reduced cost

When physical therapy and drugs fail to relieve back or neck pain, patients often turn to spinal fusion surgery as a last resort, but two new studies show that in certain situations, especially when several discs are involved, artificial disc replacement may give better long-term results at lower cost.

23 Mar 2011

HealthGrades recognizes America's 50 Best Hospitals for 2011

HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals for 2011 were identified in a report issued today by the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. These hospitals demonstrated superior and sustained clinical quality over an eleven year time period, based on an analysis of more than 140 million Medicare patient records.

23 Feb 2011

BioMimetic highlights updates on orthopedic and rehabilitation devices during AAOS meeting

BioMimetic Therapeutics, today announced highlights from its analyst and investor meeting which was held on Thursday, February 17 in San Diego, CA in conjunction with the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery Annual Meeting.

18 Feb 2011

Study finds worse outcomes in workers undergoing spinal fusion surgery

For workers' compensation patients with chronic low back pain, spinal fusion surgery leads to worse long-term outcomes—including a lower rate of return to work—compared to nonsurgical treatment, suggests a study in the February 15th issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

16 Feb 2011

Globus Medical's Pivot system infringes Medtronic patents, confirms US Appeals Court

Medtronic announced today that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed that the Pivot system offered by Globus Medical infringes two patents owned by Medtronic.

10 Feb 2011

USPTO issues key patent to ISTO's NuQu product for degenerative disc disease treatment

ISTO Technologies, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted the company a key patent covering the primary technology for ISTO's NuQu product.

7 Feb 2011

Integra LifeSciences launches Integra Allograft Cancellous Sponge

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corp announced today the launch of Integra Allograft Cancellous Sponge, a compressible bone graft composed of 100% cancellous bone. The sponge-like handling characteristics of Integra Allograft Cancellous Sponge allow it to absorb fluids like saline, blood or bone marrow aspirate.

7 Feb 2011

Researchers receive $100,000 NFL grant to study tissue engineering for spinal injuries

Researchers from Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medical College have been awarded $100,000 by NFL Charities, the charitable foundation of the National Football League owners, to research tissue engineering for spinal injuries.

22 Dec 2010

31-year-old mother with Gorham-Stout syndrome goes home with virtually rebuilt spine

Laurie Harms, Los Angeles, feared she'd never hold her infant daughter, Sky, again. A devastating and extremely rare bone-eroding disease - Gorham-Stout syndrome - had left the 31-year-old crumpled in a hospital bed - her neck broken, arms limp and useless, and voice muted by tubes.

10 Dec 2010