SALZBURG, AUSTRIA – The TransEnterix SPIDER® Surgical System, an innovative platform that allows a surgeon to operate through a patient’s belly button, has received regulatory approval to market in the European Union.

On Oct. 12, Professor Helmut G. Weiss, a respected expert in minimally invasive surgical techniques, used the SPIDER system to remove the gallbladders of two patients, repair an inguinal hernia in a third patient, and perform a colorectal procedure in a fourth. The surgeries took place at Barmherzige Brüder Hospital in Salzburg, Austria.

Assisted by Dr. Walter Brunner, organizer of the second annual Austrian Single Incision Surgery Society meeting, Weiss successfully completed each surgery as a single-incision procedure. The inguinal hernia repair was the first procedure of its kind in the world to be performed with the SPIDER system.

The surgeries were featured on Österreichischer Rundfunk, Austria’s national public service television broadcaster. Weiss later presented findings from the cases during a single-incision surgical symposium held by the Austrian Surgery Alliance.

Surgical thought-leaders in Europe have expressed great enthusiasm for SPIDER’s minimally invasive approach enabled by its flexible, 360-degree-rotating devices, said Robin Hembry, vice president, Europe.

“Historically, surgeons in Europe have played a leadership role in pioneering new surgical techniques,” he said. “We share a vision with our surgeons and patients that surgery can be performed in a far less invasive manner. This shared vision will be enabled by working closely with thought-leaders in Europe to expand the reach of the SPIDER system across a variety of advanced procedures.”

After using the system, Weiss commented that, “SPIDER provides a safe and stable platform to perform a variety of abdominal surgical procedures via the umbilicus.”

About the SPIDER Surgical System
The SPIDER Surgical System allows a surgeon to operate through a patient's belly button. Its unique expansion technology enables surgeons to operate at angles similar to those achieved in traditional laparoscopic surgery.

Using the SPIDER system, the surgeon makes a small incision in the patient’s belly button and inserts the device through it. The surgeon opens the system like an umbrella and performs the procedure. When finished, he closes the system and removes it through the same incision.

The SPIDER system’s triangulation capability and flexible instrumentation are proprietary technologies created by TransEnterix and are not available in other systems on the market.

Since the SPIDER was released in March, surgeons have used it to successfully treat colon cancer, repair hernias, remove kidneys and gallbladders, apply gastric bands, and perform gastric sleeve procedures.

About TransEnterix
TransEnterix partners with leading medical thought-leaders to rapidly develop pioneering technologies that advance minimally invasive surgery.

Having received regulatory clearance to market the SPIDER Surgical System from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Union, TransEnterix is commercializing its operations in the United States and Europe. In doing so, TransEnterix is creating an entirely new category of minimally invasive surgery called flexible laparoscopy, which combines the minimally invasive nature of catheter-based surgery with the familiar procedures of laparoscopic surgery.

Since its start in 2006, the company has secured $75 million in venture capital funding.

NOTE TO MEDIA: B-roll videotape, B-roll animation and high-resolution photos of the SPIDER Surgical System are available. Contact Karen Stinneford at 919.833.9102.