Expanding Orthopedics Inc. Announces Presentation of its In-Vivo Evaluation Results of the XPED Expanding Pedicle Screw System at the 2011 Meeting of the North American Spine Society

OR AKIVA, Israel, November 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Expanding Orthopedics Inc. is pleased to announce that Dr. Ory Keynan has presented his abstract on "In Vivo Evaluation of a Novel Expanding Pedicle Screw: A Six-Month Study in a Sheep Model" at the NASS Meeting in Chicago in November 2011. Dr. Ory Keynan, Head of Service for Degenerative and Age-related Spinal Disorders at the Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel explained that "solid fixation of pedicle screws is the cornerstone of a successful spinal fusion. It's particularly important in compromised bone quality such as in the elderly population, in various bone pathologies, and in revision surgery.

The abstract presented by Dr. Keynan is based on a six-month GLP study on a sheep model. It included: implantation and removal of XPED expandable screws, with subsequent histological analysis performed at different time intervals during the 6-month length of the study. Dr. Keynan, who was the principal investigator of the study, said "we were able to demonstrate three very important features of the XPED expanding screws: ease of deployment, progressive bone in-growth in between the implant's expanded wings, and ease of removal- despite the bone in-growth. The increased osteointegration over time, as well as bone in-growth inside the expandable area, provided a progressively robust fixation of the screw within the vertebral body."

Dr. Keynan was the first surgeon worldwide to implant the XPED Pedicle Screw System™. "So far, we have successfully implanted the XPED in over 20 patients, with the longest follow-up being 1 year. All patients are doing well and experience a decrease in pain and an improvement in functionality. Dr. Keynan believes that "further studies are needed to demonstrate long term outcome. However, based on the current results, the XPED system will certainly become the standard of care to treat patients in cases where enhanced fixation is required."

Mr. Ofer Bokobza, CEO of Expanding Orthopedics, said that "we are honored to be selected for this podium presentation at the North American Spine Society (NASS) conference, which is one of the biggest and most exclusive spine societies. Only a handful of papers are accepted each year for oral presentation after a thorough peer review process." Mr. Bokobza confirmed that "a growing number of surgeons in Europe are starting to adopt the XPED system, after the successful launch of the product at the EuroSpine Congress on Milan in October 2011".

About Expanding Orthopedics Inc.

Expanding Orthopedics Inc. is a privately owned company whose mission is to develop innovative orthopedic products that augment the natural healing process of the body, preserve healthy bone and improve long-term patient outcome. The Company is spearheaded by seasoned management team with proven industry experience, and is backed by prominent spine surgeons from the US and Europe. EOI owns a broad patent portfolio covering the XPED and additional spine and orthopedic applications.

Contact info:
David Elkaim, VP Marketing and Sales
Telephone: +972-4-6378786
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Expanding Orthopedics Inc.