Data Suggests Lanx Spinal Fusion Device Performs Better Than Pedicle Screw Procedures

Research recently presented at this year’s annual meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons showed improved clinical outcomes and reduced hospital costs with Lanx Inc.’s Aspen MIS fusion system when compared with lumbar fusion with pedicle screws. The meeting took place from Oct 6-10 in Chicago, Ill.

“This data adds to the growing body of research on patient benefits that the minimally invasive Aspen device delivers, including improved Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores and reduced hospital costs,” said Dan Gladney, Lanx CEO. “The Aspen device was designed specifically to limit the muscle trauma associated with traditional, invasive spinal fusion, and thereby help improve the recovery experience, which continues to be supported by the data.”

The ODI is an outcome assessment tool used to measure a patient’s quality of life and impairment from pain.

Robert Tatsumi, M.D., of the Northwest Spine Research Foundation in Tualatin, Ore., studied 55 consecutive patients who underwent posterior fusion with pedicle screws or the Aspen system, and evaluated their length of stay and clinical outcomes (ODI and SF-36 values). All patients suffered symptomatic degenerative spondylolisthesis (a condition in which a vertebra in the lower spine slips from its proper position onto the bone below it) with stenosis (an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal) and were about 71 years old.

Tatsumi found the Aspen system led to significantly shorter hospital stays relative to pedicle screws (28 hours vs. 66 hours). In addition, Aspen device patients had a mean ODI improvement of 26 points at six weeks, compared with 13 points among the pedicle screw patients. Research found no statistical difference among age groups, with older patients experiencing similar post-operative improvement to younger patients.

“These findings help confirm the positive patient experiences we have been seeing in our practice, and support the use of the Aspen device as preferred instrumentation for many patients, such as the elderly, who may not be able to tolerate traditional procedures,” said Tatsumi. “The data also show that fixation with an Aspen device can cut a patient’s hospital stay in half, which brings significant benefit to patients and hospitals. Notably, the Aspen device group experienced improved pain and function outcomes on par with, if not superior to, that of the pedicle screw group.”

In addition to the positive clinical outcomes documented with the Aspen system, research also noted significantly lower overall hospital charges compared with pedicle screws. Tatsumi attributed the decrease to shorter hospital stays associated with Aspen device surgery, since hardware costs were similar.

The Aspen system is used in the thoracic or lumbar spine (T1-S1 spine regions) to treat degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, spinal trauma or spinal tumors. It currently is being used in various surgical applications including posterior lumbar fusions and interbody fusions (posterior, transforaminal, anterior, and lateral).

Lanx Inc. is a spinal device company based in Broomfield, Colo.

Tatsumi’s study, “Single Level Posterior Lumbar Fusion and Decompression for Degenerative Spondylolisthesis—Comparison Between Pedicle Screws and Spinous Process Fixation,” was funded by the Northwest Spine Research Foundation in Kirkland, Wash.