Life Spine ProLift MicroLife Spine today announced the first surgical cases of its ProLift Micro endoscopic expandable spacer system.

ProLift Micro supports a range of procedures, including endoscopic TLIF/PLIF, MIS and open. It comes in 8mm width and expands in situ from 8mm to 13mm.

The Huntley, Illinois-based company designed ProLift Micro to be deployed through a micro-invasive cannula that uses endoscopic visualization. Once inserted, the device expands in situ to restore disc height and patient alignment.

An endoscopic approach allows physicians to work through smaller channels to minimize required incisions and retractions. The endoscope associated with the device protects surrounding vascular structures and provides real-time visualization.

“The endoscopic approach of ProLift Micro allows for direct visualization at the annulus level. Placement of an interbody is facilitated and secured by the ability to look directly at the cage and achieve optimal positioning with minimal entry for the patient,” said Florida-based Dr. Anthony Hall, who performed the first procedure using the device.

ProLift Micro is also post-packable and repositionable in situ and has intuitive instrumentation that helps protect neural anatomy and surrounding vascular striations. Next year, the company anticipates a fully endoscopic spine procedure using ProLift Micro, an in-house developed mixed reality vision system and perioperative biometric data analysis that uses artificial intelligence.