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Appeals court dismisses challenge to doctor-owned hospital expansion limit in health law

An appeals court has dismissed a challenge to a part of the health law that limits expansion of doctor-owned hospitals on grounds that a lower court that issued an earlier ruling didn't have jurisdiction in the case.

20 Aug 2012

New patient survey shows improved quality of decisions about herniated disc surgery

A new patient survey can show improvements in the quality of patient decision-making about whether or not to undergo surgery for a herniated disc, reports a study in the August 15 issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

18 Aug 2012

Early MRI scans for acute lower back injury may lead to increased disability

If you've recently hurt your back on the job, getting a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan won't increase your chances of a good recovery, suggests a study in the August 15 issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

17 Aug 2012

'Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs' likely to be cost effective for both NHS and wider society

Specialised group yoga classes could provide a cost-effective way of treating patients with chronic or recurrent low back pain, according to the UK's largest ever study of the benefits of yoga.

17 Aug 2012

FDA clears Stryker’s Trevo Pro Retriever to treat acute ischemic stroke

Stryker Neurovascular announced today that its Trevo Pro Retriever has been granted 510(k) market clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Trevo Pro Retriever is the next generation in clot removal technology from Stryker, utilizing proprietary Stentriever Technology for optimized clot integration and retrieval in patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke.

From Stryker 13 Aug 2012

$Thoracolumbar vertebrae fracture may be ‘silent’$

Thoracolumbar vertebrae fracture may be ‘silent’

Imaging is essential to avoid missing fractures to the thoracolumbar vertebrae in patients who have sustained blunt injury, UK researchers say.

10 Aug 2012

FDA clears Toshiba’s new 16-element flexible coil system

To improve MR exam efficiency and image quality, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. has received FDA clearance for its high-density 16-element flexible coil system, developed in partnership with NeoCoil. The new coil system makes it easier for clinicians to complete high-quality exams and improve diagnostic efficiency.

7 Aug 2012

Vitamin E total knee replacement performed at Tri-City Medical Center

Dr. James Helgager, an experienced orthopedic surgeon, implanted the first vitamin E Total Knee Replacement in San Diego County on July 31 at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside. Helgager is the Medical Director of Joint Replacement for the Orthopaedic & Spine Institute at Tri-City Medical Center. He has been practicing medicine for more than three decades and has performed thousands of total knee replacements.

6 Aug 2012

Similar molecular pathways involved in intellectual disability due to Fragile X and Down syndromes

Intellectual disability due to Fragile X and Down syndromes involves similar molecular pathways report researchers in The EMBO Journal. The two disorders share disturbances in the molecular events that regulate the way nerve cells develop dendritic spines, the small extensions found on the surface of nerve cells that are crucial for communication in the brain.

3 Aug 2012

Advice to stay active promotes recovery in patients with low back pain

For workers on medical leave because of low back pain, giving advice to stay active increases the chances of returning to work, reports a study in the August 1 issue of Spine.

3 Aug 2012

FDA clearance - scoliosis - DePuy synthes spine

DePuy Synthes Spine announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use of its EXPEDIUM®, VIPER®, and VIPER®2 Spine Systems on patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), an abnormal curvature of the spine that typically affects children between the ages of 10 and 18.(1) This expands the scoliosis indication for the pedicle screw systems, which now are indicated for both adolescents and adults.

2 Aug 2012

Exactech second quarter revenue increases 7% to $55.2 million

Exactech, Inc., a developer and producer of bone and joint restoration products for hip, knee, shoulder, spine and biologic materials, announced today revenue of $55.2 million for the second quarter of 2012, a 7% increase over $51.7 million in the second quarter of 2011.

31 Jul 2012

Sinai Hospital to help investigate health and safety of astronauts in long-duration spaceflight

Sinai Hospital of Baltimore has been awarded one of 29 grants by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) and NASA's Human Research Program to help investigate questions about astronaut health and performance on future deep-space exploration missions.

31 Jul 2012

Study highlights advantages of Baxano's iO-Flex system in performing lumbar spinal decompression

Baxano, Inc., the manufacturer of the innovative and cost-effective iO-Flex System, announced today the publication of a peer-reviewed study highlighting the advantages of the flagship iO-Flex technology in performing lumbar spinal decompression, a procedure that can be done with and without spinal fusion.

26 Jul 2012

Biomet prices previously announced offering of $550M aggregate senior notes due 2020

Biomet, Inc. today announced that it has priced its previously announced offering of $550 million aggregate senior notes due 2020, which has been increased to $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2020, at an issue price of 6.500%.

26 Jul 2012

Tumor necrosis factor may play a key role in how light at night leads to depression

Chronic exposure to dim light at night can lead to depressive symptoms in rodents -- but these negative effects can be reversed simply by returning to a standard light-dark cycle, a new study suggests.

24 Jul 2012

Axial lumbar interbody fusion for two spinal levels may not be effective

Surgeons from the Instituto de Patologia da Coluna in Sao Paulo, Brazil have found that an innovative minimally invasive surgical procedure performed to achieve two-level axial lumbar interbody fusion produced immediate successful results, but within 2 years complications set in, making the procedure far less desirable.

21 Jul 2012

Treating complex spinal pathologies: an interview with Eric Major

In the approximate $8 billion global spine market, the most specialized and demanding $1 billion complex spine segment includes deformity, trauma, and tumor pathologies.

20 Jul 2012

Longer looks: Physicians and assisted suicide; Avoid getting sick in July

Peggy Sutherland was ready to die. The morphine oozing from a pump in her spine was no match for the pain of lung cancer, which had evaded treatment and invaded her ribs. … Sutherland, 68, decided to use Oregon's "Death With Dignity Act," which allows terminally-ill residents to end their lives after a 15-day requisite waiting period by self-administering a lethal prescription drug. ... But not all doctors are on board with the law.