A clinical trial at Maine Medical Center is exploring a new surgical technique that may relieve the symptoms associated with a particular type of back problem, spinal stenosis of the lower back. The device being evaluated in this study is a titanium implant called the X-Stop. It is inserted under local anesthesia and does not require the removal of bone or soft tissue. The procedure typically takes one hour and the patient goes home the same day. Lower back spinal stenosis is the most common cause of lower back surgery in adults over 65.
Spinal stenosis occurs when the spinal canal or nerve root canals become too narrow.
Spinal stenosis often occurs as a result of the natural aging process. In other cases, it is a result of degenerative diseases and conditions. At present, the only FDA approved surgical procedure for lower back spinal stenosis, decompressive laminectomy, requires general anesthesia and may require up to five days in the hospital. We are testing whether or not this increase of the spinal canal, which creates more room for the nerve fibers, will decrease or eliminate the patient s pain. Patients involved in the study must have mild to moderate symptoms of lower back spinal stenosis.