Patients with severe back pain may require decompression surgery in order to provide stability in the spinal column. The purpose of such surgery is to relieve pain and discomfort associated with moderate to severe spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column resulting in pressure on the spinal cord and the nerves that travel within the spine. An FDA-approved solution to address spinal decompression is the Coflex Interlaminar Stabilization System.
An Alternative to Traditional Fusion Surgery
Previously, the only remedy to relieve pressure on the spinal cord was fusion surgery, which can be more invasive and expensive for patients. The coflex is implanted in the spaces between the vertebrae to relieve pressure on the spinal cord. The implant itself is a soft interspinous spacer with a silicone core. The coflex implant, designed to achieve stabilization and promote fusion, doesn’t involve any new instruments that need to be used during the surgery and it doesn’t require any changes when it comes to post-anesthesia care following the insertion of the implant.
Five Anatomical Sizes
In clinical studies involving the Coflex Interlaminar Stabilization System, patients experienced less postoperative pain than patients who had traditional fusion surgery. This allowed patients in the study to start physical therapy sooner than patients who had traditional surgery. The implant, available in five anatomical sizes, also resulted in less dependency on pain relievers and narcotics in patients participating in the studies. Additional benefits of the coflex implant include:
- Reduced operating time
- Tissue-friendly, anatomical fit
- Less blood loss
- Smaller incisions
- Reduced muscle and skeletal trauma
Ideal candidates for the coflex implant are patients requiring single-level lumbar spine fusion surgery to treat degenerative disc disease. Another benefit of the minimally invasive procedure is a reduced recovery time for patients following surgery compared to patients who had the surgery without the implant.
To learn more about coflex surgery or to see if you are a candidate, reach out to The Spine Institute Center for Spinal Restoration and speak with Dr. Hyun Bae, MD. Along with being the principal researcher for Coflex’s FDA approval, he helped develop and test the implant in multiple clinical trials. To request an in-person consultation, call (310) 828-7757 toady.