3D-Printed Implant Supports Lateral Spinal Fusion

A novel lateral expandable fusion device allows surgeons to achieve up to 30 degrees of sagittal spinal correction in skeletally mature patients.

The Stryker (Kalamazoo, MI, USA) SAHARA Lateral 3D Expandable Interbody System uses a passive expansion mechanism that can be intraoperatively adjusted from a lateral approach, or passively adjusted in a staged posterior approach following an osteotomy. SAHARA Lateral is available in a variety of footprints, heights, and lordotic offerings so as to more precisely match a patient's anatomy. The system is intended for use with supplemental fixation systems, such as the SAHARA anterior lumbar expandable stabilization system, a lordotic device with integrated screw fixation.


SAHARA Lateral features Lamellar 3D Titanium technology, which uses an advanced 3D printing method to create structures difficult or impossible to manufacture using traditional manufacturing techniques. Starting with a titanium powder, SAHARA implants are grown through selective application of a high-energy laser beam, allowing fabrication of structures with complex internal geometries and roughened surface architecture, which have been shown to demonstrate increased protein expression, in contrast to smooth titanium surfaces.

“At Stryker, inventing state-of-the-art solutions that address unmet clinical needs is essential to our vision and purpose,” said Eric Major, President of Stryker's Spine Division. “SAHARA Lateral provides surgeons and hospital systems with a 3D-printed solution for complex posterior correction maneuvers, all while reinforcing our commitment to excellence in medical innovation and improving quality of life for people with spinal deformities.”

“Surgeons performing lateral spinal fusion often require versatility to help them achieve optimal outcomes for their patients,” said orthopedic surgeon Gregory Poulter, MD, of OrthoIndy (Indianapolis, IN, USA). “Stryker's SAHARA Lateral, with its expansion mechanism that is both actively adjustable from a lateral approach and passively adjustable during a staged posterior procedure, provides an excellent 3D-printed option to help these patients.”

Interbody devices are designed to replace the intervertebral disc of the spine, enhancing stability in the region while the spine fuses. The fusion procedure typically uses a posterior fixation device to the associated level, since the surgeons will implant interbody devices from an anterior approach and flip the patient over to implant a posterior pedicle screw device. Lateral fusion is more complex and less predictable.

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