X-Stop - A Surgical Procedure for Spinal Stenosis

St. Francis Medical Technologies has developed a minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) that has already been used in Europe. The FDA approved the procedure this past Spring 2006. Spinal stenosis can be either congenital or acquired and is characterized by narrowing of the spinal canal or neural foramen resulting in neural compression. Symptoms of spinal stenosis can present as back pain, radiculopathy, gait abnormalities, neurogenic claudication, and bowel/bladder dysfunction. The spinal canal size varies between flexion and extension. Flexion increases and extension decreases the spinal canal size.

Degenerative disc disease is the most common cause for spinal stenosis and is the most common indication for lumbar spine surgery in the elderly. Decompressive surgery consisting of laminotomy, laminectomy and/or foraminotomy is the only option for symptomatic LSS if patients fail conservative treatment (Sept/Oct 2006 The Pain Journal). Unfortunately there are comorbidities associated with spine surgery including mechanical failure and a success rate of only 65% for good and excellent outcomes.

St. Francis Technologies has developed an innovative minimally invasive surgical device, the X-Stop®, for the treatment of spinal stenosis. The X-Stop is indicated for spinal stenosis when symptoms increase with extension and decrease with flexion. The X-Stop is a titanium spacer inserted under local anesthesia anterior to interspinous ligament over the lamina between the spinous processes at symptomatic segmental levels.

The device distracts the disc space and maintains it in a slightly flexed position that reduces extension at symptomatic level(s), while maintaining the dynamic structure of the spine.
The X-Stop has demonstrated a 59% one year success rate (comparable to traditional spine surgery), early mobility, reduced morbidity, and decreased recovery time compared to more invasive surgery. The procedure is non-destructive and completely reversible if more extensive surgery is required at a later time. The X-Stop is contraindicated in patients with severe osteoporosis.