Medtronic, an innovator in minimally invasive spinal procedures for the past decade, recently announced at the 26th annual meeting of the North American Spine Society that it had advanced common back surgery techniques with its new MAST® (Minimal Access Spinal Technologies) MIDLF™ midline laminectomy fusion technique.

Spinal fusion is a surgery that fuses together vertebrae in the spine in order to treat lower back pain caused by several factors like age, arthritis, and even infections, fractures and tumors in serious cases.

Fusion is achieved by placing a small piece of bone (usually taken from the pelvic or rib bone) between the two vertebrae to encourage growth. The vertebrae will, in time, grow together. Thus, the underlying idea is to fuse together the painful vertebrae so that they heal into a single sturdy bone.

On average, according to known medical statistics, 250,000 people a year undergo spinal fusion in the United States alone.

Traditionally, spinal fusion surgery had been conducted by incision through either the lower back and/or the abdomen. About a decade ago, however, Medtronic introduced the minimally invasive spinal surgery market to the groundbreaking Micro Endoscopic Discectomy (MED) System, a novel addition to the lexicon of minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Its latest MAST® MIDLF™ procedure includes a state of the art retractor (a device used to hold open surgical incisions) and cortical bone (the dense outer layer of bone) screw fixation; reducing the time needed to operate.

The navigation system improves how accurately implants are placed, reducing the chances of injury to surrounding nerves, muscles, tissue, and tendons.

The MIDLF approach is a unique minimally invasive spinal fusion surgery. The spine is accessed through the middle lower back, eliminating the need for surgeons to work through a tubular retractor, a medical device that limits surgeons to a small working space.

The reduction of time on surgery reduces the chances of a patient catching an infection or a harmful disease, reduces the size of scars, minimizes injury to surrounding tissues, and decreases the duration of hospital stays.

The novelty of the product favors medical personnel as well. It can be used with Medtronic’s imaging system and reduces radiation exposure to physicians and hospital workers.

“A midline approach offers surgeons a number of benefits in addressing the challenges associated with decompression as well as sacral fixation in the lumbar or lower spine,” says Dr. Richard Hynes, a spine surgeon at the B.A.C.K. (Back Authority for Contemporary Knowledge) Center.

Dr. Richard Hynes is particularly impressed because, “[It} enables a highly efficient, minimally invasive...fusion, while allowing visualization of familiar posterior landmarks.”