Vexim: Two New Implants (written by Elizabeth Hofheinz @ Orthopedics This Week)
A certain minimally invasive (MI) French company now has maximum coverage of the spine…Vexim, an enterprise specializing in the MI anatomical treatment of vertebral compression fractures, has just added two new implant sizes to its SpineJack range of implants. The new sizes (measuring 6.5 mm and 4.2 mm in diameter) will be added to the standard 5 mm size, meaning, says the company, that the SpineJack can to be used to treat almost all vertebral fractures of the spine.
The SpineJack is a titanium implant (5 mm in diameter and 25 mm in length) that covers 80% of spinal column fractures (vertebrae TH10 to L5). It is inserted into a patient’s vertebra via a transpedicular, minimally invasive approach (just one or two 5 mm skin incisions). A specialized set of instruments is used to prepare the vertebra for the X-ray-guided insertion of one or two implants, depending on the anatomical configuration of the fracture and the degree of reconstruction required. Once this step has been completed, bone cement is injected into the restored vertebra in order to secure the vertebral structure and relieve the patient’s pain. A trained surgeon needs only 25 to 35 minutes to complete the whole procedure. The patient can expect a very significant reduction in pain immediately after the operation and will generally be discharged from hospital 24 hours later.
Vexim’s President and CEO Bruce de la Grange told OTW,
We started out with one size (5 mm in diameter) which could be inserted through the trabecular canal. This was a fine cylinder that resembles a car jack when opened and expands to 17 mm in height. We were only covering 80% of the indications with this 5 mm size implant however. Certain countries have people who are bigger boned, while others have a population that has smaller bones. We wanted to be able to address both of these issues with the two new sizes to enable Vexim to cover nearly all indications in all markets.
de la Grange also commented to OTW,
The challenge in producing the larger size was to make the implant big enough to meet patient needs but still be able go through the pedicle. The challenge of developing the smaller implant was how to make the implant capable of doing the same mechanical job (lifting up the endplates of a fractured vertebra and keeping them in place while cement is injected through the implant). Fortunately, Mr. Edouard Arrubarrena, our executive director, spent 35 years in the aeronautical world and is an expert in precision mechanical development and with his R & D team solutions to both challenges were found.