The United States patent office has granted a patent to Wenzel Spine, Inc. of Austin, Texas, for a product with one of the longest names in the industry. It is Wenzel Spine’s Zero-Profile VariLift® Stand-Alone Expandable Interbody Fusion System.
Wenzel Spine Product Receives Patent
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Chad Neely, CEO of Wenzel Spine, said, “With the issuance of this new patent, the Patent Office has confirmed Wenzel Spine’s innovative stance in this fast-paced technological arena. We have numerous additional patent applications under review and will continue to work to expand the Wenzel Spine patent portfolio as we continue to innovate and develop new products.”
The VariLift family of devices features zero-profile interbody designs, which allow for stand-alone use of the VariLift system for lumbar and cervical fusion procedures. Wenzel Spine’s Cervical and Lumbar VariLift Stand-Alone Expandable Interbody Fusion Systems are commercially available in the U.S. and Europe. The company offers minimally invasive solutions for stand-alone treatment of disc herniations, spinal stenosis, and spondylolisthesis.
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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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