Premia Spine's Tops spinal arthroplasty system was found to be more cost-effective than a transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion, according to a study published in the Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research.
Researchers published data from March 25 in the journal. They evaluated cost-effectiveness, expressed as the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio and secondary outcomes focused on quality of life.
The study found patients were willing to pay an estimated $100,000 for the benefits of the implant, designed to stabilize the spine without fusing, within a year after surgery. The device, which has a $4,000 cost premium over TLIF, also was found to be the dominant strategy after two years.
"Tops appears to be a highly cost-effective surgical modality compared with TLIF as a motion-preserving, nonfusion alternative for the treatment of grade 1 spondylolisthesis with lumbar spinal stenosis," the study's lead author, Jared Ament, MD, said in a June 2 news release from Premia Spine. "Since the Tops system yields greater quality of life at a lower total cost over time, it deserves serious attention."