Singapore Medicine - Singapore Doctors Use Hi-Tech Implant to Add Space to Narrowed Spi...( Singapore's ...)

Singapore's ParkwayHealth is the first healthcare group in Southeast Asia to offer the In-Space percutaneous interspinous distraction device, a revolutionary spinal procedure.

Singapore (PRWEB) November 18, 2008 -- Singapore's ParkwayHealth is the first healthcare group in Southeast Asia to offer the In-Space percutaneous interspinous distraction device, a revolutionary spinal procedure.

It is the bane of many elderly folk -- buttocks and lower back pain. Also known as lumbar spinal stenosis, this is when spinal discs undergo wear and tear from natural degeneration. In the process, the spinal canals are narrowed and nerves may be impinged, causing the typical symptoms.

To correct the problem, open surgery or a laminectomy may become necessary to distract the two vertebrae apart and decompress or release pressure on the nerve root. However, for suitable patients, a new procedure involving an implantable device is now available. Not only does it treat the symptoms with improved results but it spares the patient much discomfort and inconvenience.

Developed in Munich, Germany in 2005 and launched in Europe a year later, the In-Space percutaneous interspinous distraction device was designed as a tissue-sparing alternative to the laminectomy. The former only requires a small incision of around 2cm compared to 10cm or bigger for the latter.

With the aid of X-ray imaging, a wire is then guided to the space that needs to be widened or distracted. An implant (drum) is then railroaded between the affected spinous processes to widen the spa
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