Due to AdvaMed regulations, TranS1, Inc. is only able to cover your Thursday night accommodation at THEhotel. If you are extending your stay to participate in the SMISS meeting, please make your Friday through Sunday / Monday reservation directly as per below. Please note that we will coordinate with the hotel to ensure that you do not move rooms during your stay (if your SMISS reservation is at THEhotel). Room rates for SMISS are: $229 per night, plus tax at THEhotel and $179 per night, plus tax at Mandalay Bay. To make your reservation and receive these discounted rates, please call the Mandalay Bay/THEHotel reservations department and ask to book a room for the "XSMISS" meeting. Reservations - 877-632-9001 or book online at resweb.passkey.com/go/xsmiss. The hotel will need a credit card to secure the reservation and they will charge one night's stay to book the room. Don't forget to register for the SMISS meeting by going to http://www.smiss2009.org.

Scoliosis Frames New Territory for TranS1

9/25/2009
Piper Jaffray & Co.
 TranS1's solid clinical outcomes continue to drive interest and adoption of its AxiaLIF procedure, despite the reimbursement challenges that emerged in 2Q08. In addition, this week's SRS meeting highlighted the company's successful entrance into the clinically demanding market for adult idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and complex spine, which we believe could help to offset the slowdown in its degenerative spine business. Visibility into near-term results remains difficult, however we view the stock as very attractive and expect TSON to significantly outperform our universe over the next twelve months.
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SAS9, Ninth Annual Global Symposium on Motion Preservation Techniology — MIS Hits Primetime

9/16/2009
Marie Gethins, Medtech Insight
 -- The Ninth Annual Symposium for the International Society for the Advance of Spine Surgery (SAS9), held this spring in London, welcomed almost 1,700 attendees, double that of 2008, and most sessions provided a spirit of optimism despite the harsh economic environment. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) took center stage as applications widen and techniques improve, while facet joint replacement devices and materials to simplify revisions also drew crowds.
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Minimally Invasive Correction of Grade I and II Isthmic Spondylolisthesis using AxiaLIF® for L5/S1 Fusion

3/22/2009
Larry T. Khoo, MD
CoDirector UCLA Comprehensive Spine Center Los Angeles, CA Isthmic Spondylolisthesis is traditionally treated using an ALIF at L5/S1 to remove the disc and insert an interbody cage. APLIF or TLIF is then performed to decompress the nerves. These procedures present a variety of challenges for surgeons due to high complication rates and long recovery times. AxiaLIF provides a minimally invasive approach to Isthmic Spondylolisthesis and achieves similar surgical results, but with amuch lower complication rate and faster patient recovery time.

Introduction

The goals of Isthmic Spondylolisthesis surgery are realignment of the spine, decompression of the nerves using direct and indirect decom- pression, and stabilization of the spine with interbody cages and pedicle screws. The AxiaLIF procedure provides a strong interbody device combined with indirect decompression of the nerves. Its variable pitch threads allow for disc height restoration. In addition, the discectomy portion of the AxiaLIF procedure maintains the annulus. This prevents bone graft migration, bone growth in the canal, and cage slippage, which are common complications in other techniques.

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Trans-sacral Fusion of Spondylolisthesis at L5-S1

11/13/2008
Larry T. Khoo, MD
CoDirector UCLA Comprehensive Spine Center Los Angeles, CA The patient is a 49-year-old-male mechanic, who presents with a 1-year history of axial low back pain and primarily right leg sciatica. He describes his pain as 50% back pain and 50% leg pain.

His back pain is exacerbated by mechanical-type activities including sitting, standing, bending forward, lifting, and twisting, whereas standing and walking worsens his leg pain. He reports weakness of his right foot and great toe dorsiflexion, as well as some difficulty walking stairs on his right leg.

His pre-operative assessment scores are VAS back 8/10, VAS leg 9/10, and an Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) of 46. He has been disabled from his work for approximately 3-months.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, oral opioid narcotics, and muscle relaxants only partially control his pain.

Co-authors:
Vikas Mehta, MD*
Zhaomin Zheng, MD*
Budong Chen, MD*
*UCLA Comprehensive Spine Center, Los Angeles, CA

Farbod Asgardzadie, MD
Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery
Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Loma Linda, CA

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