L&K Spine has reported the first human clinical use of its BluEX-LT curved expandable lateral cage in a spinal deformity procedure performed in the United States. The case was completed at WakeMed Health & Hospitals in North Carolina and represents an important clinical milestone for the company’s U.S. expansion strategy.
The procedure involved a patient with significant spinal deformity. According to L&K Spine, the use of BluEX-LT helped improve spinal alignment and allowed the surgical team to reduce the originally planned fusion range.
That is the most relevant point of the case. The patient was initially expected to require a long fusion from T10 to S1. However, after the insertion of BluEX-LT and the correction achieved, the final fusion was reduced to L2–S1.
In deformity surgery, this difference is important. Reducing the number of fused levels may help preserve motion, shorten the procedure and decrease blood loss and recovery burden. It is only one case, but it gives L&K Spine a stronger clinical story around its curved expandable technology.
BluEX-LT was developed for lateral lumbar interbody fusion and builds on the curved cage concept used in the company’s AccelFix-XTP platform. Its curved design is intended to allow the implant to sit more securely along the apophyseal ring, the stronger peripheral area of the vertebral endplate. This may help reduce subsidence risk while supporting better alignment correction.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Gary Fletcher, a spine surgeon at Bone & Joint Surgery Clinic and a specialist in spinal deformity. Dr. Fletcher combined BluEX-LT with his minimally invasive lateral access technique, “Shallow Psoas Docking,” designed to limit disruption of the psoas muscle.
Dr. Fletcher said the cage was precisely anchored to the apophyseal ring and that no postoperative migration was observed. He also noted that the reduced fusion range helped decrease operative time and blood loss, reducing the burden for both the patient and the surgical team.
For L&K Spine, the case comes at a relevant moment. The adult spinal deformity market remains one of the most demanding and valuable areas in spine surgery, with a growing need for technologies that can support alignment restoration through less invasive approaches.
The company is currently expanding its BluEX expandable cage portfolio in the U.S. and is also working to strengthen distribution for recently FDA-cleared cervical and lumbar products.
This first case does not by itself change the market, but it is a useful signal. If L&K Spine can build consistent clinical experience around BluEX-LT, the product could become more than another expandable cage. It could become part of a broader deformity correction strategy for selected patients.
About L&K Spine
L&K Biomed, whose name stands for Learning & Knowledge Biomed, applies knowledge accumulated through clinical experience, research and development to the medical device market. The company’s founding purpose is to drive change and innovation by delivering meaningful benefits to healthcare professionals and by becoming a leading manufacturer in the medical device industry.
L&K Spine is part of the L&K Biomed group and represents the company’s dedicated spine business. In recent years, L&K Biomed has continued to expand its U.S. regulatory footprint, receiving multiple FDA 510(k) clearances for spine product launches. These include the BluEX Lumbar Expandable Cage System and, more recently, BluEx-C, a height-expandable cervical interbody cage, which received FDA 510(k) clearance in May 2026.
Its vision is to become a leader in the medical device field and to be the first choice for customers.
Website: https://lnkspineinc.com/
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