DePuy Synthes expands 3D titanium printed spinal implant portfolio

At the 34th Annual North American Spine Society meeting this week, DePuy Synthes, part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices group, launched its new line in 3D printed titanium spinal implants.

The CONDUIT Interbody Platform is designed to mimic the natural bone structure and facilitate in spinal fusion. It is the first release that uses the trademark technology pioneered by German company Emerging Implant Technologies (EIT), since Johnson & Johnson acquired it last year.

Worldwide President of Spine at DePuy Synthes, Nadav Tomer, said: “Our goal as a spine business is to focus on the areas with the most potential to solve unmet clinical needs, and we are excited to add advanced materials to our interbody portfolio as another option for surgeons.”

“The launch of the CONDUIT portfolio, together with our comprehensive interbody implant offerings for degenerative disc disease, helps us deliver life-enhancing spine solutions that advance the standard of care for patients everywhere,” he continued.

A new type of implants, CONDUIT implants are made using EIT Cellular Titanium. The material has an elasticity that is comparable to the spongy cancellous bone tissue typically found at the core of spinal vertebrae and at the ends of the long bones.

The implants come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each designed with a latticework centre. Using such a structure makes the implant 80% porous, as opposed to the 50 - 90% of a natural bone. This structured, organised porosity helps promote grafting of natural bone as the body heals.

The CONDUIT implants are used to treat the collapsed discs which occur in degenerative spinal diseases. Dr. Wilson Z. Ray, a neurological surgeon at St. Louis hospital, Missouri has had direct experience with the technology for both cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) spinal regions.

He said: “The implant allows for superior visualisation, virtually no scatter on CT scan and early fusion assessment as compared to other titanium interbody devices.”  

DePuy Synthes has said that it is committed to the continued development of the medical application of additive manufacturing. As well as the acquisition of EIT, the company also invested €36-million in its Innovation Centre in Ireland to advance 3D printing material science.

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