The SpineWand uses an RF-powered plasma field to ablate tissue through molecular dissociation; utilising chemistry, not heat to decompress the disc.
Controlled Ablation Technology utilizes bipolar radiofrequency energy to remove tissue via plasma molecular dissociation6. The energized particles within the precisely focused plasma have sufficient energy to break down organic molecular bonds and therefore dissolve soft tissue, such as the disc nucleus, through a chemical rather than heat-driven process. Removal of tissue at relatively low temperatures (typically 40ºC to 70ºC7), versus over 400ºC for conventional RF devices, preserves the integrity of surrounding healthy tissue. Controlled Ablation Technology allows targeted areas of nucleus tissue to be gently removed, decompressing the herniated disc. The by-products resulting from this process are elementary molecules and low molecular weight gasses, such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon tetrahydrate and hydrogen, which are easily resorbed or vented.
The significant benefits of Controlled Ablation Technology and its ability to offer controlled, highly localized and rapid ablation of tissue, whilst preserving adjacent tissue8, has led to its adoption across numerous surgical specialties, including spine, ENT and arthroscopy, with millions of patients successfully treated to date.
6 Woloszko J, Stalder KR, Brown IG. Plasma characteristics of repetitively-pulsed electrical discharges in saline solutions used for surgical procedures. IEEE transactions on plasma science 2002;30:1376-83 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3165337_Plasma_characteristics_of_repetitively-pulsed_electrical_discharges_in_saline_solutions_used_for_surgical_procedures
7 Diederich C, Yetkinler D, Nau WH, and Brandt L. Disc temperature measurements during Nucleoplasty and IDET procedures. Eur.Spine J. 2002;11:418.
8 Chen YC, Lee S-H, Saenz Y, Lehman NL. Histologic findings of disc, end plate and neural elements after coblation of nucleus pulposus: an experimental nucleoplasty study. Spine J. Nov-Dec 2003;3(6):466-70. https://www.thespinejournalonline.com/article/S1529-9430(03)00143-8/fulltext
Before: Molecular Dissociation:
Typical large organic molecule (protein)
Before: Molecular Dissociation:
Typical large organic molecule (protein)
After: Molecular Dissociation:
Elementary molecules and low weight molecular gases.
Percutaneous Plasma Disc Decompression with SpineWand utilizes physics principles found in Pascal’s law; creating a relatively small reduction within the nucleus pulposus volume (as a closed hydraulic space) results in a uniform fall in intradiscal pressure, reducing mechanical compression on surrounding nerve structures.
