DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a91c4f/us_markets_for_min) has announced the addition of the "US Markets for Minimally Invasive Spine Technologies 2010-2014" report to their offering.

The largest factor driving the US market for minimally invasive (MI) spine technologies is the continued popularity of and shift toward MI options for the treatment of the spine. There is considerable surgeon and patient interest in the benefits associated with MI spine technologies, including shorter recovery times, less blood loss, and a quicker return to daily activities. Reimbursement remains a limiting issue for some MI spine devices, however; obtaining coverage for technologies in certain segments has been difficult, which has hindered adoption of the devices. Additionally, the steep learning curve associated with the use of MI access systems has impeded uptake of these technologies.

Leading companies in this segment, such as Medtronic Spinal & Biologics, NuVasive, and TranS1 are, however, allocating extensive resources to physician education and training. These companies are also working to attain specific reimbursement codes for their procedures and to educate their clients on how to properly code their procedures to receive full reimbursement, which will fuel market growth over the forecast period. Another key factor driving demand for MI spine procedures in the US is the aging population; this expanding demographic will generate an increase in the occurrence of age-related spinal pathologies such as degenerative disc disease. As a result, the US MI spine technology market will steadily expand through 2014.

Questions answered in this report:

• In the US in 2009, one major insurance provider restated its position to not reimburse lateral lumbar interbody fusions (LLIF), and two other major insurance providers also declined to reimburse the procedure. How will the loss of reimbursement affect the growth of the LLIF market? How will it affect the growth of other MI spinal fusion segments?
• A growing number of competitors are entering the facet fixation market. How will the increased number of competitors affect pricing? Which companies are developing new product designs? What shift will be seen in the types of materials used?
• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a nonreimbursement decision for thermal intradiscal therapies in 2008. Which products and competitors were affected by this decision? How will this decision impact market growth over the forecast period?
• There is growing concern over potential long-term complications associated with performing discography procedures. How will this impact adoption of brand-name and generic discography devices through 2014? What will contribute to the modest growth still being recognized in this market?

Scope:

Regions covered: US

Segmentation: Our analysis uses the following segmentation of the market:

MI spinal fusion

• By approach (posterior and trans-sacral)
• By access instrumentation type (percutaneous, mini-open, distally expanding, and tubular)
• By screw type (cannulated and noncannulated)
• By level (1-level, 2-level, and multilevel)
• MI interbody device fusion

By approach (transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion, LLIF, posterior lumbar interbody fusion, and anterior lumbar interbody fusion)

By implant type (machined bone and nonbone)

• Facet fixation
• - By material (allograft and titanium)
• - By region of spine (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar)
• Intradiscal therapy
• Discography
• -Brand name
• -Generic

Market forecast features: Based on primary research with industry professionals, we use our proprietary forecasting model to provide an in-depth examination of current and future trends in procedure volumes, unit sales, average selling prices, and market values over a 7-year period (20082014).

Competitive analysis: We provide a detailed analysis of the competitive landscape in the market, as well as market shares and qualitative discussions of the leading competitors in each market segment.

Companies Mentioned:

• Aesculap Implant Systems
• Alphatec Spine
• Atlas Spine
• Baylis Medical
• Biomet Spine
• Clarus Medical
• Covidien (through its acquisition of Pinyons Medical Technology)
• DePuy Spine
• HydroCision
• Innovative Spine Technologies (acquired by Integra LifeSciences)
• Interventional Spine
• K2M
• LANX
• Life Spine
• Medtronic Spinal & Biologics
• Merit Medical Systems
• Nutech Medical
• Orthofix Spinal Implants
• Pioneer Surgical Technology
• SeaSpine
• Smith & Nephew
• Solco Biomedical
• SpineFrontier
• SpineVision
• Stryker
• Synthes Spine
• US Spine
• VG Innovations
• X-spine Systems
• Zimmer Spine

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a91c4f/us_markets_for_min

Source: Millennium Research Group

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