MEMPHIS, TENN.– May 4, 2009 – Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced the U.S. launch of the PEEK PREVAIL™ Cervical Interbody Device.
The PEEK PREVAIL Device is an implant used to treat patients who suffer from a degenerative condition that affects the neck (cervical spine). When a spinal disc is diseased, it can lose height, compressing nerves and causing pain in the neck and arms. The PEEK PREVAIL Device is designed to provide stability during spinal fusion, which involves joining two bones together, such as adjacent vertebrae. There are more than 200,000 cervical fusion procedures performed each year to relieve compression on the spinal cord or nerve roots.
Surgeons can use bone graft to restore a patient’s disc height and have traditionally covered the graft with a metal plate anchored to the spine with four screws to provide stability and prevent the bone graft from moving. The zero-profile PEEK PREVAIL Device eliminates the need for a plate and attaches to the spine using only two screws.
