Interspinous Process Distractors for lumbar spinal surgery

The first of the kind was the X-STOP, which is a device inserted between the spinous processes – the small boney protrusions that stick out along the back of one's spine – to keep them opened up. It effectively opens the spinal canal as if one were in a seated position rather than a standing position, which relieves pressure on the spinal canal. One benefit is that this lumbar stenosis surgery is fairly minimal for the insertion of the device. Another benefit is that it can be done under local anesthetic.

However, use of the X-STOP device is relatively new compared to a lumbar laminectomy. The X-STOP clinical studies that have been done are relatively small and tend to show varying results as to success rates in terms of pain relief.