MINNEAPOLIS -- Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), has been awarded three Medical Design Excellence Awards - two for products related to Activa® Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy, a treatment for common movement disorders including Parkinson's disease, and one for an ear, nose and throat (ENT) image guidance system used in sinus surgery.

The winning DBS products are the Nexframe® stereotactic technology system in the "surgical equipment, instruments, and supplies" category and the Stimloc™ lead anchoring device in the "implant and tissue-replacement products" category. The winning ENT surgery product is the LandmarX® Element endoscopic image guidance system in the "radiological and electromechanical devices" category.

"Medtronic is the company that developed deep brain stimulation as a treatment for numerous movement disorders," said Zachary Levine, a neurosurgeon at the Washington Brain and Spine Institute in Washington, D.C., and an experienced implanter of Medtronic's deep brain stimulation technology who has adopted the Nexframe system and the Stimloc device. "With these award winning products, it is providing innovative ways for neurosurgeons to implant DBS systems more efficiently."
The Nexframe system enables accurate DBS lead placement while improving operating room efficiency and the patient experience. It replaces the traditional stereotactic head frame with a mini stereotactic system that uses bone markers and image-guided surgery technology to allow imaging and planning prior to the day of surgery. Because of its small size, the Nexframe system may reduce the discomfort of a traditional stereotactic head frame worn by a patient during a DBS procedure and allows the patient to be positioned with a moveable head and neck support rather than being secured to the operating table.

The Stimloc lead anchoring device enables secure fixation of the DBS lead before and after implantation. Its low profile and contoured shape enhances patient cosmetics and comfort, and helps protect the underlying soft brain tissue.

The Nexframe system and the Stimloc device are part of an integrated suite of products and services that comprise the Medtronic Procedure Solution for Deep Brain Stimulation. These products are both used in Activa® DBS Therapy, which safely and effectively manages some of the most disabling motor symptoms of the three most common movement disorders -- Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia. It uses a surgically implanted medical device, similar to a cardiac pacemaker, to deliver carefully controlled electrical stimulation to targeted areas in the brain. Activa DBS works by electrically stimulating specific brain structures that control movement and muscle function.

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