Orthopedic Development Corporation's TruFUSE(R) Procedure Tops 1,750 Patients in ...( CLEARWATER Fla. Sept. 24 /- Ortho...),Health

CLEARWATER, Fla., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Orthopedic Development Corporation, parent company to minSURG Corporation announced today that over 1,750 patients have received the TruFUSE posterior fusion procedure since its introduction last year. TruFUSE, one of the first intermediate surgical solutions to treat intractable back pain, has been in limited distribution.

The TruFUSE technique uses two small cork-shaped dowels made of human bone, called allografts, to stabilize vertebrae, and is used mostly in the lower, or lumbar, spine. The dowels are inserted using an entirely percutaneous or minimally invasive, minimally destructive technique between facet joints in the back to stop movement and pain. The TruFUSE technique is one of the first intermediate surgical options to fill the large void between traditional non-surgical back pain management and major spine fusion surgery. Two dowels are used to fuse one vertebra.

TruFUSE has been used on select patients since March 2006, and went into limited distribution in August 2006. With 30 distributors and over 100 hospital approvals and active surgeons, minSURG is preparing a broad market launch and expects to train and certify an additional 400 to 500 surgeons before the end of the year.

James Doulgeris, MinSURG's president and CEO, said, "TruFUSE represents a new, intermediate surgical option for many chronic back pain sufferers where there was none before. We are strongly encouraged by its rapidly broadening acceptance, particularly by patients, as an endorsement that validates TruFUSE's potential. With experienced management and systems in place to serve a much larger segment of the medical and healthcare community, both here and abroad, we are looking forward to the challenge of growing TruFUSE into a major surgical solution in the coming months."

TruFUSE is used to treat a variety of back problems, including augmentation of other procedures, for any location from C2-C3 to L5-S1. Compa
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