Impliant Launches Less-Invasive Version of Patented TOPS(TM) Sp...( PRINCETON N.J. July 17 /- Implian...),Health

PRINCETON, N.J., July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Impliant, Inc., a developer of novel spine arthroplasty alternatives to fusion surgery, today announced that it conducted the first surgery in the United States using a less-invasive version of its TOPS(TM) System, a Total Posterior Arthroplasty device designed to treat spinal stenosis with or without facet arthrosis and spondylolisthesis. The surgery was performed by Domagoj Coric, MD, Neurosurgeon at the Charlotte Neurosurgery and Spine Associates in Charlotte, NC, as part of the company's TOPS(TM) Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study.

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The less-invasive version features a reduced L5 crossbar configuration that the company feels will further reduce tissue retraction and operative time during TOPS(TM) implantation.

"The procedure went very well," commented Dr. Coric. "I feel this new version is a significant improvement over the original TOPS(TM) design and is a natural progression of making implants as minimally-invasive as possible while still being able to withstand the biomechanical demands of the lumbar spine."

Andrew Shepherd, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Impliant, said, "We are pleased to add this less-invasive option to our TOPS(TM) family of products. This line extension is a result of input we received from our TOPS(TM) investigators to help further improve the ease of insertion of the device."

Impliant recently received FDA approval to begin re-enrolling patients in its prospective, randomized IDE study comparing the TOPS(TM) System to a traditional posterior fusion. The company voluntarily suspended enrollment in the study in September of last year following one device-related failure.

Impliant is applying cutting-edge materials and crossbar biomechanical techniques to develop a new class
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