Candidates Sought for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Study

This just in from Brock Communications:

Orthopedic surgeons at Florida Orthopaedic Institute and Florida Hospital Carrollwood are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the ACADIA® Facet Replacement System. ACADIA® is an investigational device intended to treat lumbar spinal stenosis without fusing vertebrae or compromising the motion of the spine. 

Florida Hospital Carrollwood is one of up to 30 sites in the United States participating in a clinical study to determine if the ACADIA® Facet Replacement System is a safe and effective treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis. Antonio Castellvi, MD; John Small, MD; Farhan Siddiqi, MD; and James Billys, MD are the surgeons participating in the study. 

Each year, more than 300,000 people are affected by lumbar spinal stenosis.  Lumbar spinal stenosis is a painful and sometimes debilitating condition in which facet joints, which link the vertebrae together, may become inflamed, causing a narrowing of the spinal column. With a narrower spinal column, the nerves and nerve roots can become pinched resulting in symptoms that may include leg, buttocks, thigh, and back pain.

Surgical options for treating lumbar spinal stenosis involve decompressing the spine by removing structures that are compressing the nerves and nerve roots. In standard decompression surgery with fusion, the vertebrae are fused together to stabilize the spine after the spinal cord and nerves are freed from compressive structures. Although spinal fusion may help keep the spine stable following decompression, it may also eliminate the motion that naturally occurs between vertebrae.

With the ACADIA® Facet Replacement System, the nerves and nerve roots are decompressed like the standard surgical treatment; but, the spine is not fused.  Thus, ACADIA® may preserve the normal motion in the spine while painful symptoms are relieved.

The study is open to both male and female patients between the ages of 21 to 85, who have been diagnosed with LSS and have had at least six months of conservative treatment; such as: physical therapy, medication, and injections. Additional criteria must also be met for inclusion in the study.

For more information on the ACADIA® study, please contact Debbi at 813-978-9700 x. 7304 or email: dclabeaux@foreonline.org