New Way to Repair Broken Vertebrae

To now, repair of broken vertebrae has been rather invasive with glue used tending to leak into other areas of the spinal cord. New technology and a new technique offer hope of preventing this from happening.

Undergoing clinical trials is the use of a smart implant made of Titanium which is inserted into a patient's spinal cord through a small tube. Called Bidex, the implant grips broken vertebrae and creates scaffolding that lifts it in order to permit insertion of special glue for repair of the break.

The clinical trials are being conducted at Israel's Beilinson Hospital. The Bidex implant was created by a start-up company, Expandis.

The company believes the product targets a large and promising developing market. It believes the technology developed is applicable to other spine fusion and fracture repair applications.