Here are eight things for spinal surgeons to know for Dec. 11, 2014.
Orthopedic vs. neurological residency: Which prepares more for spine surgery?
A study published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery examines the spine procedures performed during orthopedic and neurological surgery residency training to find the variability. Orthopedic surgery residents experienced an average of 160 spine surgery procedures performed during their time. Neurosurgery residents experienced 275 spine procedures performed.
North American spine surgery market in 5 years
The North American spine surgery market was valued at $7.76 billion this year and is expected to reach $11.28 billion by the end of 2020, according to a new report from Research and Markets. This would be a 6.43 percent compound annual growth rate. The United States accounts for 60 percent of the market share; Canada is second with 32 percent.
Stryker to pay $79M in OtisKnee settlement
Stryker will pay a little over $79 million to end civil and criminal investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice into the sales and marketing of the OtisKnee before Stryker acquired its parent company, OtisMed. OtisMed pleaded guilty to federal charges of intentionally distributing its OtisKnee device despite the fact the company's application for marketing clearance had been rejected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Medtronic-Covidien merger surges ahead: China clears proposed acquisition
Medtronic announced that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce has cleared its proposed acquisition of Covidien. The proposed acquisition has also been cleared by the South Korean Fair Trade Commission.
Amedica's $13M IPO closes
The capital raised during this public offering will support ongoing research and development efforts and business operations as the company continues to implement a strategy to advanced direct sales of silicon nitride through their own channel while "providing a disruptive and superior material tot the global market through private label and OEM relationships, positioning us for accelerated growth in the coming years," said Amedica CEO Sonny Bal, MD.
Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: What can you tell about outcomes from sagittal balance?
Study authors examined 49 patients who underwent dorsal and ventral fusion surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy and performed assessments preoperatively and at three months, six months and one year postoperatively. The study found that most patients with C2 to C7 sagittal vertical axis values greater than 40 mm didn't report overall health-related quality of life improvements. At the same time, these patients did report myelopathy improvement.
Can ozone gas fix leg pain from disc herniation?
The first surgery performed with the Minimus Spine Triojection System was performed in Italy. Triojection involves controlled delivery of ozone gas to a herniated disc to relieve pain. Now, Minimus Spine plans to move forward with plans for a multicenter, randomized, postmarket study in Europe.
HHS to receive $80M budget increase from Congressional spending bill
Congress unveiled a huge, 1,603-page, $1.01 trillion spending bill Tuesday night, including $948 million for HHS. Also, included in the bill was a budget of $5.4 million for fighting Ebola.
More articles on spine:
Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: What can you tell about outcomes from sagittal balance? 5 things to know
Endoscopic spine surgery interest grows overseas — Could it flourish in the United States?
Dr. Jennifer Sweet joins Helius Medical Technologies' scientific advisory board