For most neurosurgical operations to be effective, the head must be rigidly fixed. In the event of percutaneous craniotomies and spinal operations, skull clamps are approved for such use. During operations, they are put on the patients' skulls to keep their neck and head in a normal position. As the number of neurosurgeries increases and new surgical procedures are developed, there is a greater demand for smaller equipment such as skull clamps to decrease post-surgical scars on the body.
Advances in skull clamp technology are likely to drive market expansion. For example, Mizuho OSI, a major producer of surgical equipment in the United States, introduced the Levo Head Placement System in October 2017 at the North American Spine Society (NASS), which will offer precise head positioning during spine operations. It features a number of replaceable modules that allow for easy connection to skull clamps, resulting in safe and efficient patient care.
Injuries sustained when using skull clamps are impeding the expansion of the skull clamp market. According to a 2016 paper published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), skull clamp devices used in surgical operations to immobilize head and neck movement can move or slip, resulting in complications such as skull fractures, facial wounds, and blood clots. This is impeding the expansion of the skull clamp market.
North America is expected to hold a dominant position in the skull clamp market, owing to increasing geriatric populations and increasing cases of brain injuries. For instance, according to a report published in The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) 2017, in the U.S., 153 people die due to traumatic brain injuries every day.