A Wilmington company receives national recognition

A Wilmington company received some national recognition Monday night.

In 2002 Trans1 developed a tool to help make back surgery a little less painful. The tool fits through a small incision made just below the tailbone and allows doctors to remove damaged material and insert a screw to separate the two lowest discs in the spine.

Doctors say these two discs are responsible for more than 80-percent of back pain requiring surgery. For patients, it means a faster procedure and recovery.

Adam Brown, Md. Said, “We would expect the patients to have much less post operative pain. The operation takes about an hour, to an hour and fifteen minutes. Some patients go home the same day; others will go home the next day.”

Monday night’s World News with Charles Gibson followed a patient who had spinal fusion surgery using the tool developed by Trans1.

The tool is currently used in more than 300 hospitals. More than 5,000 people have chosen this new spine fusion procedure.