The spine industry is a large, growing and vibrant market, demonstrated in significant technological advances for spine surgery and events like EUROSPINE 2019. Jordy Winters, EMEA Spine Lead, DePuy Synthes, shares his thoughts on the current trends in spinal surgery. Additionally, Maarten Spruit, Chairman of AOTK Spine discusses his experience and achievements in the field of spine surgery
Trend 1: Aging population leads to an increase in spinal fusion
The percentage of the European population over the age of 65 equaled 19.7 per cent in 2018, indicating a 2.6 per cent increase since 2008; an even more dramatic increase is expected to occur by 2100 [1]. Data confirms that older patients are increasingly meeting the indications for spinal fusion [2,3]. Older patients are more likely to have suboptimal bone quality and may require stronger forms of fixation [2,4].
Current limitations are mainly reported in the areas of fixation, alignment and extension [3-9]. For example, 95 per cent of surgeons have reported to have seen a lateral-mass screw pull out or loosen [3]. Market research has also shown limited satisfaction in the ability to achieve alignment targets or to extend constructs with current instrumentation [3].
Trend 2: ‘Enabling tech’ is all the buzz
Intraoperative image-guided spinal navigation was by far the most talked about technology at EUROSPINE 2019. The utilisation of image guidance (IG) is becoming increasingly widespread and can be invaluable to surgeons during spine surgery procedures [22]. Minimally invasive spine (MIS) surgery can result in a decrease in visualisation, however using computer-assisted navigation technologies enables greater visualisation through smaller MIS incisions as compared to open surgical procedures [23].
DePuy Synthes is proud of its longstanding strategic collaboration and co-marketing and distribution agreement with Brainlab, a company that offers an industry-leading suite of technologies including navigation, imaging, robotics and software planning tools.
As part of this agreement, our companies collaborate on the marketing and promotion of integrated systems. This strategic collaboration allows us to offer an end-to-end navigation solution including intra-operative services and professional education that provides customers with seamless access to Brainlab’s enabling technology in combination with DePuy Synthes offerings.
This collaboration also furthers our aim of building a connected digital environment in which technologies that enhance surgical performance, professional education and monitoring, as well as help guide patients to full recovery are connected – pre-, intra- and post-operatively – across the continuum of care.
Trend 3: Surgical procedures are improving
Annually, 266 million patients worldwide are diagnosed with lower back pain due to lumbar degenerative disease [10]. Surgeons performed more than 62,000 transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedures in Europe in 2018 [11]. The average cost of TLIF in some European regions extends to more than €10,000 [12].
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for spinal fusion is growing for t