New Study Shows Herniated Disc Patients Better after Surgery; National Institutes of Health Study Shows Back Surgery Patients Have Better Physical Function.

BERGEN, Norway -- A study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows patients who have back surgery for herniated lumbar discs (a bulging disc in the spine) have substantial improvement in such key indicators as bodily pain, physical function and disability according to a presentation today at the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine.

The Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) was a five year, $13.5 million, NIH-funded study that looked at three specific diagnoses that routinely result in surgery. Those conditions are herniated lumbar discs, spinal stenosis and degenerative spondylolisthesis. Today's presentation reported the one year randomized and two year observational outcomes for patients in the disc herniation study. 501 patients were enrolled in the surgical arm and 743 patients were enrolled in the observational cohort at 11 medical centers across the U.S.

Among the findings:

--Patients presenting with herniated disc symptoms and associated physical findings did significantly better with surgery than did non-operative patients.

--94% of patients had no surgical complications after 2 years.

--Approximately 30% of the patients who originally randomized to non-operative care were not satisfied with their progress and chose to crossover to surgery by the third month of treatment. The crossover rate was even more dramatic at 12 months, with 42% of the non-operative cases deciding to have surgery.

--The intent-to-treat analysis showed a statistically significant advantage for surgical over non-operative treatment.

--As-treated analyses showed much larger effects for all outcome measures.

"We're excited to see that when non-operative treatments fail, spinal surgery is an effective therapy option for patients," said Pete Wehrly, Senior Vice President and President of Medtronic's Spinal and Navigation businesses. "And we will continue to develop more modern techniques with a goal to further improve these outcomes."

"It's not surprising to me that the surgery patients in this study did so well. I was initially concerned that this study had some overall methodological challenges that would bias the outcomes toward non-operative care," said Dr. David Polly, chief of spinal surgery at the University of Minnesota. "But even with inherent biases toward non-operative care, the early statistics show what a great therapy option surgery is. Herniated disc patients with radiating leg pain are in a great deal of pain and are forced to give up their quality of life. The pain relief after surgery can be dramatic and help them get their life back."

Eligible patients in the study were at least 18 years old with herniated discs with persistent symptoms for at least six weeks. The surgical intervention was standard open discectomy; non-operative treatment was individualized to the patient by the treating physician(s). Primary outcome measures were the Bodily Pain and Physical Function scales of the SF-36 and the modified Oswestry Disability Index. Secondary measures included sciatica bothersomeness, satisfaction with symptoms, and self-reported improvement.

A lumbar herniated disc usually causes leg pain (sciatica or a radiculopathy) and is often referred to as a pinched nerve, bulging disc, ruptured disc, or a slipped disc.

Information on the SPORT Study, herniated disc patient stories and spinal surgery options can be found at www.back.com and www.insidespine.com.

About Medtronic's Spinal Business

Medtronic's spinal business, based in Memphis, Tenn., is the global leader in today's spine market and is committed to advancing the treatment of spinal conditions. Medtronic's spinal business collaborates with world-renowned surgeons, researchers and innovative partners to offer state-of-the-art products and technologies for neurological, orthopedic and spinal conditions. Medtronic is committed to developing affordable, minimally invasive procedures that provide lifestyle friendly surgical therapies. More information about the company and its spinal treatments can be found at www.medtronicspinal.com and its patient-education Web sites, www.back.com, www.iscoliosis.com, www.maturespine.com and www.necksurgery.com.

About Medtronic

Medtronic, Inc. (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for millions of people around the world.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 27, 2006. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.