The Divergence features an “all-in-one fusion device with internal screw fixation, allowing for maximum distance from the adjacent level disc. The system consists of a stand-alone interbody device “indicated for use in anterior cervical interbody fusion procedures in skeletally mature patients with cervical disc disease at one level from the C2-C3 disc to the C7-T1 disc.”
The company defines cervical disc disease as “intractable radiculopathy and/or myelopathy with herniated disc and/or osteophyte formation on posterior vertebral endplates producing symptomatic nerve root and/or spinal cord compression confirmed by radiographic studies.” The device must be used with internal screw fixation.
The device, according to the company, is also required to be used with autogenous bone graft. It is to be implanted via an open, anterior approach and used in patients who have had six weeks of non-operative treatment. Patients with previous non-fusion spinal surgery at involved level may also be treated with the device.
According to the company, the cage screws feature a “cortical cancellous thread design to help maximize bone screw purchase and both straight and angled instrumentation.”
About Medtronic
Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Medtronic is the world’s largest medical technology company. Spinal and Biologics is Medtronic’s second-largest business, accounting for $3.0 billion, or 22%, of Medtronic’s $13.5 billion in revenue in FY2008. Our market leadership is largely a result of our innovation: we’re developing many of the new standards of care in spinal and musculoskeletal therapies. We collaborate with world-renowned surgeons, researchers, and innovative partners to offer state-of-the-art therapies for spinal, neurological, orthopedic, and oral maxillofacial conditions.http://www.medtronic.com