MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced the U.S. launch of the SOVEREIGN™ Spinal System. The SOVEREIGN Spinal System is an intervertebral body (interbody) fusion device used to treat patients who suffer from a degenerative condition that affects the lumbar spine. When a lumbar disc is diseased, it can lose height, compressing nerve roots and the spinal cord, causing pain in the legs and lower back. The SOVEREIGN Spinal System is designed to stabilize the spine and promote bony fusion, which involves the joining of two bones together, such as adjacent vertebrae. There are more than 200,000 lumbar fusion procedures performed each year to relieve leg and lower-back pain.