Dr. Juan M. Dipp, chief of Orthopedics at Del Prado Hospital in Tijuana Mexico, published along with other doctors a study about GelFix, a one-piece implant designed to provide distraction to the posterior column. GelFix is a bio compatible hydro gel, with unique mechanical properties. Implanted between the spinous processes through a small incision, GelFix acts as a dynamic spacer restricting painful motion without harming other movements of the spinal segment.
The GelFix system provides a more flexible distraction, in contrast to other more conventional rigid materials such as titanium or PEEK. GelFix increases the space between the spinous processes to maintain the flexing. This flexing increases the area of the neural foramen. The interspinous device is available in four sizes to fit the anatomy of each patient.
The hydrogel is a material that has the ability to expand by absorbing water, which gives it the ability to adapt and change in different forms when introduced into the body. With this function it mimics normal intervertebral disk. The disc is a flexible structure located between two vertebrae which allows movement of the spine. It comprises an outer portion, called the annulus, and an inner portion, called the core. It resembles the tire of a car with an external camera (annulus) and a soft interior contents (nucleus pulposus). The outer chamber or annulus has multiple layers intersecting each other.
Dr. Dipp’s study concludes that patients who received Gelfix interspinous spacers showed a significant reduction in pain six months after surgery has been performed, with no reported complications.
Over 500 patients with spinal stenosis and low back pain were treated with GelFix. Studies led by Dr. Dipp of Almater Hospital are promising and they suggest that GelFix surgery and hydrogel implants will figure prominently in the continuum of care for spinal and back diseases.
