Interspinous implants to treat spinal stenosis.

Area of Science:

• Spine surgery
• Minimally invasive procedures
• Orthopedic implants

Background:

• Lumbar spinal stenosis traditionally treated with open decompressive surgery, carrying significant morbidity and complications.
• Interspinous spacers (ISS) represent a less invasive alternative to mitigate surgical risks.
• FDA-approved ISS include Coflex and Superion devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the Coflex and Superion interspinous spacers.
• To discuss their indications and patient selection criteria.
• To compare their efficacy against traditional surgical methods.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on interspinous spacers.
• Analysis of clinical outcomes for Coflex and Superion implants.
• Comparison of ISS with decompression and fusion techniques.

Main Results:

• Coflex demonstrates comparable outcomes to decompression and fusion for moderate spinal stenosis, offering dynamic stability.
• Coflex shows improved 3-year outcomes compared to decompression and fusion.
• Superion, placed percutaneously, shows improved 3-year outcomes compared to the X-Stop device.
• ISS provide less invasive treatment options for lumbar spinal stenosis.

Conclusions:

• Interspinous spacers are viable, less invasive alternatives for lumbar spinal stenosis treatment.
• Coflex and Superion offer distinct advantages in terms of invasiveness and patient outcomes.
• Careful patient selection is crucial for optimizing results with ISS.