SpineGuard: Taming Of The Screw

21 Jul 2013

Much of the innovation in spine over the past decade has aimed at replacing fusion, the standard of care. SpineGuard’s novel sensor technology is betting on fusion’s long-term prospects, helping patients and surgeons by making the procedure safer.

Like its sister segment in orthopedics, total joint replacement, the spine market has long benefited from favorable dynamics and, particularly in its early boom, strong pent-up demand as new, procedure-enabling technologies came to market. But spine has historically differed from joint replacement in one crucial aspect, even as the market soared: significant unmet clinical need.

Indeed, total joint replacement proved such a robust market in large part because procedure success rates quickly reached astronomical levels,...