Physicians at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System, based in Charleston, S.C., have successfully completed the first total posterior spine system procedure at the facility.
The TOPS device provides an alternative to traditional spinal fusions, which can limit flexibility and range of motion for patients. Instead of using rigid rods like in traditional fusions, the TOPS device stabilizes the spine while preserving the patient’s natural range of motion, according to a May 20 news release.
The surgery was performed by Stephen Kalhorn, MD, a professor of neurosurgery, using Globus GPS robotic navigation.
“Maintaining motion in the spine is important to delay adjacent segment spinal degeneration,” Dr. Kalhorn said in the release. “With a lumbar fusion, the levels above and below the fused level will degenerate over time. This is because of the loss of motion, which leads to higher stress at these neighboring parts of the spine. The more stress that builds up, the more the arthritis tends to accumulate, leading to bony and ligamentous overgrowth.”
Ralph H. Johnson is among the first VA systems to offer the TOPS spinal implant.
