Medtronic launches its SOVEREIGN Spinal System in the U.S.

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced the U.S. launch of the SOVEREIGN^™ Spinal System.

The SOVEREIGN Spinal System is an intervertebral body (interbody) fusion device used to treat patients who suffer from a degenerative condition that affects the lumbar spine. When a lumbar disc is diseased, it can lose height, compressing nerve roots and the spinal cord, causing pain in the legs and lower back. The SOVEREIGN Spinal System is designed to stabilize the spine and promote bony fusion, which involves the joining of two bones together, such as adjacent vertebrae. There are more than 200,000 lumbar fusion procedures performed each year to relieve leg and lower-back pain.

To restore a patient’s disc height, surgeons have traditionally used bone grafts, stabilized and held in place by metal plates anchored to the spine with bone screws. The SOVEREIGN Spinal System incorporates a lens-shaped device with three holes for the placement of titanium screws, which protrude through the device and stabilize the adjacent vertebral bodies while preventing expulsion of the implant. The system also incorporates a cover plate that is designed to resist screw backout and that must be used in combination with the screws. Made of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), the SOVEREIGN device is radiolucent on x-rays, which allows the surgeon to view the spinal fusion during a follow-up visit.