Interspinous spacer

Last edit by Alaric Steinmetz on

Synonyms: Interspinous Spacer, interspinöser Spacer

Interspinous spacers can be used for the treatment of spinal canal stenosis.

Procedure

Here, an implant is inserted at the level of the affected vertebral segment between the spinous processes to achieve distraction and thereby enforce a forward inclination of this segment. In this way, there is a biomechanical widening of the spinal canal at this height of the spine.

Studies

Studies have shown that patients treated with an interspinous spacer have an increased reoperation rate compared to patients who received conventional micro-surgical decompression[^1].

Imaging

Percutaneous interspinous spacer
Illustration of an implanted percutaneous interspinous spacer in a sagittal CT image of the lumbar spine.
Percutaneous interspinous spacer on X-ray
Sagittal X-ray of a patient with an implanted percutaneous interspinous spacer.