A new article that has just been published at the International Journal of Spine Surgery, discussing a Modified Transforaminal Thoracic Interbody Fusion Approach. The news was announced today by Carevature Medical.
The authors present a new technique for posterior unilateral thoracic discectomy, facilitated by the Dreal®, “a novel, curved, shielded, high-speed device”; Introducing the Dreal® ventrally to the dural sac allows removal of calcified and soft disc fragments without relying on forceful manual maneuvers and avoiding manipulation of the spinal cord, resulting in a “safer treatment for thoracic disc herniations, reducing complication rates and improving patient outcome.”
The technique was developed by neurosurgeon Ely Ashkenazi, MD, at the Assuta Medical Center (Tel Aviv, Israel) in the past 5 years and has become a standard for treating such pathologies in transforaminal thoracic interbody fusion procedures (TTIF) as described in the article, as well as in more common transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion procedures (TLIF).
Says orthopedic spine surgeon and lead author Michael Millgram, MD: “The Dreal® curved high-speed drill has proved a valuable addition to my clinical practice. It allows quick and thorough evacuation of disc material in TLIF procedures providing a large clean bony surface for fusion while reducing operating time. My impression is that TLIF procedures performed with the Dreal® exhibit a considerably more robust anterior fusion than those procedures where disc space preparation was performed in the standard manual manner.”
Dennis Farrell, President for Carevature Medical, Inc. comments: “This article presents one example of how Carevature technology has the potential to reduce the morbidity associated with spinal procedures. Our company is laser-focused on improving outcomes through novel technology which is designed to safely, efficiently, and effectively remove pathology while retaining structural anatomy and minimizing the collateral damage often associated with spine surgery. We are committed to modernizing the tools that are available for decompression, many of which have not changed in decades. Carevature continues to research, develop, and launch solutions that advance the art of the decompression through our family of sterile packed, single-use, curved at the tip, shielded, and high speed bone cutting technology, and are looking forward to additional publications that share the benefits of our growing experience in cervical (ACDF, ACCF, and foraminotomy) and lumbar (foraminotomy, osteophyte removal) procedures.”
To date, Carevature Medical’s Dreal® technology has assisted surgeons in over 1,500 cases, both non-fusion and fusion. The company’s highly targeted approach has it working with medical systems and surgeons located across the US, in Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Southern California, Michigan, North Carolina, and Florida, with plans to expand throughout 2020.