John Steck, MD
Culicchia Neurosurgeon Performs First Anterior Spine Fusion Using 3D aprevo® Personalized Implant
Culicchia Neurosurgeon John Steck was the first in Louisiana to use breakthrough aprevo®3D technology to design a patient-specific spinal implant for an Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) procedure.
The ALIF approach allows the neurosurgeon access to the spine via the patient’s abdomen and provides direct access to the disc space. A common alternative procedure to the ALIF involves accessing the spine through the patient’s back. “During an ALIF, we are able to remove the disc completely and replace it with a more structurally sound implant,” Dr. Steck explained. The goal of ALIF surgery is to restore the appropriate height between the discs and realign the spine.
In the weeks leading up to surgery, aprevo® proprietary technology and the patient’s CT scan were used to design an implant specifically for the patient. Dr. Steck then reviewed a prototype and made adjustments to the final surgical plan before Carlsmed, the manufacturer, built the implant for use in surgery. The patient received the implant on July 10, 2023, at West Jefferson Medical Center in Marerro, Louisiana.
“aprevo® is well suited for patients with unusual anatomy or complex spinal deformities and can also be used to treat patients with disc degeneration,” Dr. Steck said. Use of this new technology reflects Culicchia Neurological’ s commitment to providing the most up-to-date technology to patients.
The aprevo® procedure combines the power of predictive analytics and prior outcomes data to develop personalized surgical plans and devices for each patient.
aprevo® is FDA-approved and received “Breakthrough Device Designation” from the FDA as an interbody device for the correction of adult spinal deformity.
