Vectra
Diseased or fractured discs in the cervical spine are usually treated with anterior plate-screw fixation. Within the field of anterior cervical plating, different treatment philosophies have led to different requirements for implants over the past decade. During the 1980s and 1990s surgeons almost exclusively used constrained plate systems. These rigid plate-screw-constructs do not allow for any motion of the vertebral bodies. In the 1990s a debate arose about whether micromovements facilitate the healing process. This sparked the development of semi-constrained systems that allow the screws to toggle (pivot at the screw head) and not be locked rigidly to the plate. Although today there is no single, established philosophy for anterior cervical plate-screw fixation, semi-constrained systems have increasingly become the norm.
Vectra is a flexible and easy-to-use plating system for the semi-constrained fixation of the anterior cervical spine. Vectra allows surgeons to combine fixed-angle and variable-angle screws as required, and therefore gives more freedom to build a safe construct that is appropriate to the individual situation. Variable-angle screws allow the platescrew-construct to move minimally so that it can compensate for postoperational subsidence. Meanwhile the construct maintains stability and keeps the screws contained in the plate. Fixed-angle screws, on the other hand, restrict motion.
Vectra is a low profile implant with a narrow footprint and is easy to use. The self-drilling screws can be inserted free-hand, without prior drilling or tapping. The instrumentation allows for very small incisions, and is intuitive, quick and easy to work with.
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