Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy Synthes business unit, headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, has signed an agreement with Mountain View, California’s Expanding Innovations Inc.to distribute Expanding Innovations’ X-Pac Expandable Lumbar Cage System in the U.S. With the addition of this product, says DePuy Synthes, it can offer a “comprehensive procedural solution within the lumbar degenerative and minimally invasive spine segments.”
“We are incredibly excited to collaborate with the Expanding Innovations team to bring the X-Pac Cage technology to U.S. spine surgeons,” said Russell Powers, worldwide president, DePuy Synthes Spine. “This next generation technology is well aligned with our robust portfolio and continued commitment to improve minimally invasive surgery, and we look forward to bringing this important innovation forward as a new option for patients.”
According to De Puy Synthes Spine, “The X-Pac Expandable Lumbar Cage’s expansion mechanism provides controlled expansion of both height and lordosis to allow for intra-operative adjustment depending on the patient’s anatomy to meet their clinical needs. A differentiated lock ramp-feature built into the cage endplates leaves a large available graft space inside the cage for post graft packing. These benefits can enable surgeons to tailor treatment options for patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery.”
Frank LaMarca, M.D., a neurosurgeon in Jackson, Michigan, and a paid consultant to DePuy Synthes, explained the appeal of X-Pac to OTW, “I have used many expandable cage options throughout my career and the X-Pac Cage presents certain advantages, including a unique design where the expansion mechanism is located in the inserter handle, enabling a low profile expansion ramp within the cage, which leaves space to abundantly and quickly backfill the cage with bone graft. The footprint and lordosis options allow me to choose the appropriate cage, while the dedicated positive locking mechanism gives me confidence that it will maintain height and lordosis until a solid fusion can be achieved. The EI X-Pac Cage has been an important addition to my spinal implant armamentarium.”
In closing, DePuy Synthes’ President Russell Powers said, “The team at Expanding Innovations, Inc. is deeply committed to the expandable cage space and their focus on innovation is evident with the development of the X-Pac Cage technology. Our collaboration is an opportunity to further our commitment to advancing MIS [minimally invasive] Spine surgery by helping to bring a differentiated technology to surgeons as the X-Pac Cage offers both a dedicated locking mechanism and an external expansion mechanism, among many other attributes.”
