By: 31 October 2017
SpineGuard and Zavation announce first 20 cases in USA with single-step insertion of DSG ‘smart screw’

SpineGuard, a company that develops and markets disposable medical devices to make spine surgery safer, recently announced the first cases in the USA using the one-step-insertion of pedicle “smart screws” guided by Dynamic Surgical Guidance (DSG) technology.

“The DSG technology will change the way spine surgery is performed. It will allow us to place spinal instrumentation faster, safer and with greater accuracy, minimising the risks to our patients,” said Victor Hayes, orthopaedic surgeon at Trinity Spine Center, Tampa, Florida.

“Integrating the DSG technology with pedicle screws will greatly optimise the workflow and accuracy, and reduce radiation exposure for surgeons in both the traditional and MIS surgical settings. Not only will the ‘smart screw’ allow for active real-time guidance and breach-avoidance through the pedicle, but it will also provide unprecedented feedback and confidence in the ultimate fixation of the screw itself,” said Larry Khoo, neurosurgeon at The Spine Clinic, Los Angeles.

For SpineGuard and Zavation, who announced their co-development partnership in early 2015, these successful first surgeries are an essential milestone in preparation for the commercial launch of the Zavation pedicle screw instrumentation that integrates the DSG technology.

Pierre Jérôme, CEO and co-founder of SpineGuard, said: “These surgeries further validate the clinical utility of embedding our DSG technology into the vertebral implant itself, enabling its insertion without any preliminary step. We are steadfast in the concept that DSG technology will further secure and simplify the most commonly performed instrumented spine procedure – fusion – while optimising its cost to the hospital with an ‘integrated guidance’ approach.”