Jumping on the Vertebroplasty Bandwagon

With estimates for the number of current procedures now at 35,000-40,000 and growing, established spinal orthopedics companies are beginning to cash in on the rapidly growing use of bone cements and cement delivery systems for vertebral compression fracture repair, or vertebroplasty. To date, Cook Group and Medtronic Sofamor Danek have been supplying the majority of kits. Danek also recently began selling a PMMA resin tailored for vertebroplasty, and Stryker has indicated that it too has its sights set on the vertebroplasty opportunity: it is currently reformulating one of its existing cement products for use in vertebroplasty. That Stryker and Danek-- both industry leaders in orthopedics - are positioning themselves in this market suggests that it may be the next hot area in spine.