Aesculap Implant Systems Launches S4 Element Pedicle Screw System

Aesculap Implant Systems has announced the launch of the S4 Element Pedicle Screw System for use in spinal fusion procedures, according to an Aesculap news release.

The S4 Element has been available to a select group of surgeons since May of last year as part of the company's Market Preference Evaluation, and a full launch of the system is planned for the second quarter of 2010, at which time the system will be released to surgeons throughout the United States, according to the release.

Some of S4 Element's unique features include an ultra low profile screw head for minimal impingement of anatomical structures and innovative placement instruments, like the speed multiplier handle, which facilitates tapping and screw placement at a 3.5 times faster rate without altering bone screw thread properties, according to the release.

"We're very pleased that the S4 Element system allows us to offer our surgeons and sales network a tabless screw body option which expands our existing pedicle screw portfolio," Chuck DiNardo, president of Aesculap Implant Systems, said in the release. "Launching S4 Element will allow our surgeons the flexibility to decide based on individual patient needs whether to use Aesculap's original S4 tabbed pedicle screw or S4 Element's tabless pedicle screw."

Read the Aesculap release about the S4 Element Pedicle Screw System.