South Korea-based Medyssey Co., Ltd. announced that the Company has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Zenius(TM) Thoracolumbar Spinal System. Though currently available in limited release, Medyssey will launch the new Zenius(TM) System in the United States in Q4. The Zenius(TM) System is a Ti alloy 5.5 mm Rod and Thoracolumbar Pedicle Screw Construct for the surgical treatment of spinal trauma, deformity, and degenerative spinal pathologies.

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Integra Lifesciences Holdings Corporation has added a tissue sparing retraction system, iPASSAGE Retractor for Minimally Invasive Surgery of the lumbar spine. The iPASSAGE system allows the surgeon to make smaller cuts, thereby reducing the time of recovery, tissue damage and blood loss. Integra distributes the iPASSAGE Retractor system through Integra Spine, a part of the Orthopedics segment. The company’s spine and orthobiologics product portfolio includes spinal fusion devices; supplemental fixation systems for cervical procedures.

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The University of Alabama in Birmingham has presented a new approach to achieving aesthetic balance to the aging face by combining soft tissue fillers and skin tightening techniques at the American Academy of Dermatology’s Summer Academy Meeting 2010 in Chicago. Another new technology that shows promise for skin tightening and moderate lifting of the lower face employs fractionated bipolar radiofrequency (RF) energy.

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Elmbrook Memorial, which began offering robotic surgeries earlier this year, celebrated its 100th robotic surgery. Elmbrook Memorial offers many types of robotic surgeries including prostate, urologic, gynecologic, gastric bypass, and colorectal. Using the da Vinci Surgical System, the surgeon operates while seated comfortably at a console viewing a 3D image of the surgical field. The surgeon’s fingers grasp the master controls below the display, with hands and wrists naturally positioned relative to his eyes.

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SurgiVision, Inc. has announced that the first patient procedure using its ClearPoint(TM) Neuro Intervention System has been successfully performed by physicians at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. SurgiVision’s ClearPoint system is an integrated system of reusable components, disposable components and menu-driven software. Using the ClearPoint system, a physician sees and selects a neurological target, aims SurgiVision’s targeting device and watches via MRI as the surgical instrument is advanced to the target.

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Saint Agnes Medical Center gave a demonstration of a $2 million state-of-the-art da Vinci Si HD robotic surgical system that should reduce hospital stays from weeks to days in certain cases. Robotic surgery is not a new advancement, but the da Vinci Si differs from the current straight-armed varieties by the way the machine mimics the human wrist. The da Vinci Si’s mechanical hands can bend and twist in a full 360-degree field of motion.

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Miami Valley Hospital is adding a third surgical robot system, the hospital said in a prepared release. The new da Vinci Si HD system will be delivered Dec. 18. The system features include enhanced, high-definition 3D vision, and a dual-console capability to support training. It costs about $2 million. Miami Valley Hospital performed the first minimally invasive procedures with a surgical robot system four years ago.

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According to a study published recently in the Journal of Neurosurgery, neurosurgeons at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz. found that the pen-sized microscope could help them precisely identify where tumor tissue ends and healthy tissue begins. A laser microscope that picks up fluorescently-dyed cells could result in more precise tumor extraction during brain surgery, and streamlined workflows in the operating room.

Covidien received 510(k) clearance from the FDA to market its Leak Compensation software feature for the Puritan Bennett 840™ ventilator system. This option provides continuous levels of mechanical ventilation to patients requiring respiratory support, regardless of the level of gas leakage that might occur in the circuit or past a patient interface device in the clinical setting.

HyperBranch Medical Technology Inc has received a CE Mark for its NuSeal 100 dural sealant product. NuSeal 100 is used in cranial neurosurgical procedures where a water tight seal is required on the dura. NuSeal 100 is intended for direct application on the dural surfaces to provide a positive seal after suturing thereby minimizing risks associated with post-surgical CSF leaks.