Top Four Emerging Trends Impacting the Global Spine Surgery Market

The global spine surgery market is expected to grow at a steady pace over the next three years, driven by factors such as an increasing elderly population and the growing incidence of spinal disorders such as herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, prolapsed intervertebral discs, and spinal stenosis, according to a new report from Technavio.

“Also, the shift in preference among surgeons and patients for minimally invasive (MI) surgery over open or traditional surgery has led to the development of technologically advanced spinal implants. Also, the increasing number of clinical trials of new technology implants is driving market growth,” says Barath Palada, lead analyst at Technavio for life science research tools research.

The top four emerging trends influencing the global spine surgery market according to Technavio’s healthcare and life sciences research analysts are:

Increased Use of Surface-Modified Titanium in Spinal Implants
The use of titanium to manufacture spinal implants has increased in recent years. Spinal implants such as cages, rods, screws, hooks, wires, plates, and bolts are being manufactured with titanium in preference to stainless steel. These implants are strong, light in weight, and allow for better CT and MRI imaging after implantation as they cause minimum interference.

In addition, titanium implants maintain a porous structure on their inner surfaces, thereby promoting their integration with bone for enhanced fusion. Also, retro-serrated teething on the caudal and cranial surfaces of the implant provides effective primary stability. These benefits are leading to the growing use of titanium in spinal implants, which in turn, will propel market growth.

Rise in Volume of Spinal Non-Fusion Procedures
A growing number of spinal non-fusion procedures are being performed due to the beneficial outcomes for patients. Non-fusion procedures help preserve both the mobility and stability of spine as well as alleviate severe back and leg pain. Since these procedures alleviate pain and restore motion even while enduring heavy loads, they are considered to offer clinical benefits over fusion procedures.

New devices for spinal non-fusion have also been introduced, including devices for artificial disc replacement, dynamic stabilization, and interspinous process decompression. The rise in the volume of spinal non-fusion procedures is expected to fuel market growth over the forecast period.

Rise in Popularity of Physician-Owned ASCs
Many surgeons have started to perform MI surgery in an outpatient setting, especially for bone and spine disorders. Some MI fracture operations and fusion procedures can be performed in an ambulatory surgical center (ASCs). Surgeons are already performing lumbar fusion, TLIF, and anterior cervical discectomy procedures regularly in a few ASCs.
This trend will continue, and very soon many complicated open surgery procedures will be replaced by MI surgery procedures. These developments will provide an opportunity for surgeons to invest in setting up their own ASCs to perform various MI surgical procedures in an outpatient setting, which will boost the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Emergence of MI Sacroiliac Joint Fusion Technique
Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is responsible for 25 percent of lower back pain cases across the world. The MI sacroiliac joint fusion technique has gained popularity over the traditional open surgical technique for the treatment of sacroiliac joint dysfunction. The technique offers advantages such as short operating time, minimal blood loss, and reduced period of immobilization, as well as preservation of bone and ligament.

“The MI sacroiliac joint fusion technique is one of the emerging trends in the market that will generate revenue for vendors during the forecast period,” added Barath.

Some of the top vendors in the global spine surgery market, as researched by Technavio analysts are Medtronic plc, DePuy Synthes, Stryker Corporation, NuVasive Inc., and Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc.

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company that develops more than 2,000 pieces of research annually covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries.