A new study has demonstrated the value of Neo Medical’s Force Control technology and pedicle screws in thoracolumbar fusion spine surgery.
Published in the April edition of World Neurosurgery, the study demonstrated that through a combination of the Swiss company’s Force Control technology and pedicle screws, early screw loosening was mitigated and patient outcomes improved due to the management of unintended mechanical stress in surgery.
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According to Neo Medical, Force Control limits the unintended stress applied to both implants and surrounding anatomical structures as fusion spine surgeries, which often involve joining and ‘screwing down’ two or more vertebrae in the spine, are undertaken.
Co-led by David Noriega, chief of the orthopaedic department at Spain’s Clínico Universitario de Valladolid hospital; and Dr Yasser Abdalla, head of neurosurgery at Germany’s Northwest Sanderbusch hospital, the clinical study assessed 75 patients undergoing thoracolumbar fusion surgery for conditions such as spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease.
Neo’s pedicle screws, as facilitated by the company’s Force Control technology, resulted in a screw loosening rate of 2.7% versus 9.2% seen in the control group at the one-year follow-up.
In addition, patient disability scores as measured by the Oswestry Disability Index were 38% lower after one year with the use of Neo’s solutions as compared with the control group.
At the two-year follow-up, implant-related revision rates in the Neo group were 4.1%, indicative of a 58% reduction versus the control group at 9.8%.
Dr Abdalla commented: “These results highlight how Neo’s Force Control technology allows us to apply corrective forces effectively while minimising harmful mechanical stress.
“By protecting both the implants and the patient’s anatomy, we can reduce complications and achieve better outcomes in spinal fusion surgery.”
According to Neo Medical’s co-founder and co-CEO Vincent Lefauconnier, the results highlight the technology’s benefit in reducing some of the most common and damaging complications that “too often limit” the benefits patients see after surgery.
Last year, Neo raised $68m in a Series B funding round to expand its surgical technology platform across the US. Force Control and the Lausanne-headquartered company’s related pedicle screws for spine surgery are part of its broader ADVISE platform, which also includes AI and augmented reality (AR)-based tools that aim to improve spine surgery procedures.
