Spinal Kinetics announced that the first patient has been successfully implanted with its M6-L artificial lumbar disc. This is the first implant with the commercial launch in Europe. Karsten Ritter-Lang, M.D., leading spine surgeon has completed this first procedure at Sana Clinic Sommerfeld in Germany. M6-L artificial disc is a company’s second non-fusion, motion preservation product to treat degenerative diseases of the spine. This artificial disc is developed to replace an intervertebral disc damaged by disc degeneration. This disc replicates the anatomic structure of a natural lumbar disc by incorporating an artificial nucleus and annulus. Together, the nucleus and annulus are intended to provide the same motion characteristics of a natural disc. M6-L consists of a compressible polymer nucleus that is designed to simulate the function of the native nucleus, while the surrounding multi-layer high tensile strength fiber annulus is intended to facilitate a controlled range of motion in multiple directions. M6 artificial disc is implanted with proprietary surgical instrumentation. This specialized system was designed with surgeon feedback and is intended for simple, safe, and reproducible M6 implantation.