A neurosurgeon and spine surgeon in Naples, Fla., is working on a breakthrough in spinal fusion surgery, according to a Dec. 16 report by WINK.
Mark Frenkel, MD, a surgeon at Neuroscience and Spine Associates, is patenting a new approach to spinal fusion that does not use any rods or screws.
In Dr. Frenkel's surgery, he uses small needles, curving them through one bone, through the spacer and into another bone. He then injects cement that is already approved for use in the spine to reinforce fractures.
The new approach, called a cem-lif procedure, does not require a large incision that is typically necessary with current spinal fusion surgeries. The smaller incision leads to faster patient recoveries and cuts down on the chance for infections.
Dr. Frenkel has performed about 20 of the cem-lif procedures this year, the report said.