Surgical waterjet maker HydroCision touted positive results for its Hydrodiscectomy procedure published in the Internet Spine Journal, showing a 94% improvement in back and leg pain.
The HydroCision device uses a high-pressure water jet to cut and compress herniated discs during discectomy, according to a press release.
"We are excited and encouraged about these study findings," CEO Howard Donnelly said in prepared remarks. "One of our core strategic initiatives will be to continue to invest in U.S.-based research projects designed to further validate the clinical and economic value of HydroCision products for clinicians and their patients as well as government-sponsored and private insurance companies."
The company in 2009 launched outpatient herniated disc treatment, performed under local anesthesia, in which surgeons use the waterjet to make a tiny incision in the fibrous outer ring of a vertebral disc, the annulus, and remove some of its pulpy nucleus to relieve the pressure that causes bulging and herniated discs.
The minimally invasive procedure, performed through a needle-sized cannula to reduce post-operative pain and recovery time, allows the patients to return home the same day, the company said.