Some spine wizards in Stamford, Connecticut have been working late…Orthozon Technologies is announcing the introduction of the Lumiere Retractor System, a patented retractor designed for microendoscopic discectomy surgeries. “More access and more visibility, ” says the company of the benefits for surgeons. Patients, says Orthozon, will have shorter and less painful recovery periods. The product is FDA approved.
Orthozon Introduces Lumiere Retractor

The Lumiere incorporates built-in fiber optic lighting, rotatable blades offering full medial access, and an expanded field of vision. Surgeries that can typically take two hours or more can now be performed in less than an hour.
The company indicates that, compared with other spinal retractors on the market, the Lumiere system costs 40% to 60% less per procedure and is disposable. The Lumiere is already in use at several Connecticut hospitals.
Joshua Aferzon, founder and president of Orthozon Technologies, said in the July 9, 2013 news release, “We are extremely proud of our growth over the last two years. It has been a long journey, culminating with the release of a game-changing minimally invasive tool. We are thrilled with the reception that the Lumiere is already receiving from spine surgeons.”
Asked about the design process, Aferzon told OTW, “We decided to incorporate state-of-the-art fiber optic lighting to enhance visualization, which completely transformed the product. We designed the device’s patented rotating blades to open medially so surgeons could have full contralateral access. Our team also decided to make device sterile-packed and disposable to minimize risk of infection, eliminate sterilization costs, and hasten surgical turnover time.”
“Orthozon has received interest across the country and is in the process of rolling out the retractor nationwide. Next on the horizon for Orthozon is the development of a fusion implant to be released in 2014.”

Discussion
This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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