Vertera Spine, a developer of medical devices using advanced biomaterial technologies, reported the first wave of implantations with its COHERE Cervical Interbody Fusion System, the first device featuring the company’s patented porous PEEK (polyetherether ketone) Scoria biomaterial technology.
While porous metal or metal-coated implants have found their way into spinal fusion applications, COHERE is the first in clinical use to be manufactured entirely out of PEEK and contain porosity, according to the company.
Intended for use in anterior cervical fusion procedures to treat complex, single or multi-level spinal pathologies, COHERE introduces a porous osteoconductive environment to bone without compromising the mechanical integrity of the implant. Studies have reported the advantages of adding porosity over two-dimensional roughness to implants to improve their ability to osseointegrate.
PEEK Scoria’s three-dimensional porous structure has been specifically tailored to optimize bone formation on the cellular level as well as effectively form a strong interface with bone. Since the implant is made entirely out of PEEK polymer, COHERE also provides the additional advantage of not producing any medical imaging artifacts, allowing accurate visualization of the fusion site when compared to metallic implants.
To date, the system has been implanted at a select number of orthopaedic and spine surgical sites, including Rush University in Chicago. Several of the first surgeries have also been performed in the state of Georgia, near Vertera Spine’s headquarters in Atlanta.
Frank Phillips MD, professor at Rush University was one of the first surgeons to use COHERE in a cervical fusion surgery and will be presenting new data on the PEEK Scoria technology at the upcoming State of Spine Surgery Annual Symposium on June 30-July 2 in Los Cabos, Mexico.
“I think the porosity of the COHERE PEEK interbody device will allow for more rapid osseointegration seen with textured surface devices, while at the same time allowing for excellent radiographic visualization of the fusion,” according to Phillips. “From the substantial research compiled, we have learned that Scoria’s porosity promotes implant osseointegration with the surface characteristics being more important than the implant material.”
While competitive PEEK fusion devices are treated with metal coatings that can delaminate during and after surgery, porous PEEK Scoria is grown directly from the solid PEEK implant through a patented processing method, exhibiting twice the shear strength of vertebral trabecular bone.
COHERE is available in multiple footprints and heights with a 7° lordotic angle. Vertera Spine is planning a full market release of COHERE in the coming months.
