Artificial
disc for cervical disc replacement (Research
article)
Updated April 4, 2007
The intent of the artificial cervical disc device is to preserve motion at the
disc space. It is an alternative to the use of bone grafts, plates and screws
in pursuit of a fusion following removal of a cervical disc. Read
more...
By: Mark Mikles, MD and Jeffrey A. Goldstein, MD
Posterior
motion preservation spine surgery: alternative to spinal fusion
Updated March 26, 2007
The intent of posterior motion preservation is to provide a better treatment
alternative than spine fusion for patients with pain and loss of function caused
by certain back problems, such as lumbar spinal stenosis, facet pain, and degenerative
disc disease. Most of these devices are in development or clinical trials, and
some are already in use in Europe, or are in use in combination with spinal fusion
in the US. Read more...
By: Stephen Hochschuler, MD
Mobi-C® Cervical
Artificial Disc Replacement Clinical Trial *
December 27, 2006
A clinical study of the Mobi-C® Cervical Artificial Disc for the
treatment of neck pain and possibly arm pain associated with degenerative disc
disease in the cervical spine. The Mobi-C® is a total disc replacement
for one or two damaged adjacent discs in the neck. Read
more...
Artificial disc replacement or spinal fusion: which is better for you?
December 18, 2006
Artificial disc replacement and lumbar spinal fusion are two surgical options for many patients with unremitting low back pain that has not improved with non-surgical treatments. This article discusses many considerations for patients to discuss with their surgeon prior to deciding if artificial disc replacement or lumbar spine fusion is best for them. Read more...
By: Jeffrey Spivak, MD
FDA approves the ProDisc lumbar artificial disc
August 21, 2006
On August 14, 2006, the PRODISC-L Total Disc Replacement became the second artificial disc approved by the U.S. FDA. The PRODISC-L is indicated for use at a single vertebral level as a treatment for patients with functionally disabling pain from lumbar degenerative disc disease. Read more...
By: Jack Zigler, MD
Cervical disc replacement update (Research article)
August 17, 2006
The goal in cervical disc replacement is to remove the problematic disc as well as provide a normal range of motion. The hope is that providing a normal range of motion can prevent the risk of adjacent level disease that can develop after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Read more...
By: Alok D. Sharan, MD and Jeffrey A. Goldstein, MD
Low back
pain and degenerative disc disease treatments
Updated May 3, 2006
The treatment options for degenerative disc disease are either passive or active.
Usually a combination of treatments is used to help control the symptoms. Passive
treatments are rarely effective on their own—some active component is
almost always required. Read
more...
By: Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD
SECURE®-C
Cervical Artificial Disc Clinical Trial *
February 28, 2006
The objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness
of the SECURE®-C Cervical Artificial Disc for the treatment of symptomatic
cervical disc disease as compared to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Read
more...
CerviCore™ Intervertebral
Disc Clinical Study *
February 17, 2006
The study is a multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial
that will compare the safety and effectiveness of the CerviCore Intervertebral
Disc to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in the treatment of cervical
radicular symptoms. Read more...
TFAS™ Total
Facet Arthroplasty System™ Clinical Trial *
February 1, 2006
The TFAS™ clinical trial is a multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled
clinical trial comparing the safety and effectiveness of the TFAS™ to spinal
fusion surgery in the treatment of moderate to severe degenerative lumbar spinal
stenosis. Read more...
Lumbar
Artificial Disc Surgery for Chronic Back Pain (Research
article)
August 4, 2005
An artificial disc offers several theoretical benefits over spinal fusion for
treatment of chronic back pain, including the potential for enhanced pain relief
and to avoid premature degeneration at adjacent levels of the spine. This article
provides an in-depth review of lower back disc replacement surgery and clinical
trials. Read
more...
By: Jack Zigler, MD
Disc nucleus replacement
as an alternative to artificial disc replacement (Research
article)
June 14, 2005
Disc nucleus replacement is a new type of surgery for low back pain from degenerative
disc disease. Unlike artificial disc replacement, which involves replacing the
entire disc, disc nucleus replacement surgery replaces just the inner part of
the disc. Read more...
By: John Sherman, MD
Spinal
disc replacement with the CHARITÉ Artificial
Disc
Updated March 30, 2005
The goal of the CHARITÉ Artificial Disc replacement surgery is to reduce
or alleviate chronic low back pain from degenerative disc disease by restoring
the intervertebral disc height and neuroforaminal height while returning physiologic
motion (similar to that of a healthy disc) in that segment of the spine. This
artificial disc surgery requires complete removal of the unhealthy disc in order
to implant the new artificial disc. Read
more...
By: Paul McAfee, MD
Wallis
Stabilization System Clinical Trial *
March 7, 2005
The US Clinical Study of the Wallis Stabilization System is a multi-center prospective,
randomized clinical trial currently enrolling patients to compare the safety
and effectiveness of the Wallis Device, a non-fusion surgical device, to conservative
care for treatment of degenerative disc disease. Read
more...
IDET: an alternative
to invasive surgery for chronic low back pain
November 30, 2004
Intradiscal Electrothermal Annuloplasty (IDET) is a minimally invasive treatment
for patients with chronic low back pain from certain types of degenerative disc
disease or a contained disc herniation. Read more...
By: Jonathon Lester, MD
All about the
Charité artificial disc: now approved for
use in the U.S.
November 17, 2004
Artificial disc replacement surgery is now available in the US for select patients
with ongoing back pain from degenerative disc disease. As with any new surgical
procedure, a number of factors should be considered before any patient has artificial
disc surgery, including the surgeon's relevant training, the surgeon's skills,
patient selection and appropriate indications, and more. Read
more...
By: Stephen Hochschuler, MD and Paul McAfee, MD
Charité™ Artificial
Disc *
May 16, 2003
The Charité Artificial Disc is an investigational device limited by
US (Federal) law to investigational use in the USA. Read
more...
Fusion surgery
vs. alternatives for lumbar degenerative disc disease
November 15, 2000
The decision to have a fusion procedure done is a very
personal one, and it is entirely the patient’s
decision. If a patient does not wish to undergo a
fusion surgery, there are a couple of different options
that may also be considered. Read
more...
By: Paul C. McAfee, MD
Research
update on IDET (Research article)
January 2, 2001
Two peer reviewed studies published in the October 2000
issue of SPINE Journal report on the outcomes of patients
having received Intradiscal Electrothermal Annuloplasty
(IDET) an average of one year after treatment. Read
more...
By: Ari Ben-Yishay, MD
Artificial disc replacement
surgery vs. fusion surgery: Patients vote
January 20, 2006
Nearly half of Spine-health.com's poll respondents said they are postponing spine
fusion surgery in the hope of having artificial disc surgery instead. Artificial
discs are designed to mimic the natural motion of the spine, so patients should
have greater mobility than with fusion surgery. However, there are still unknowns
about this relatively new technique. Read
more...
Back-to-Back: Artificial discs and disc replacement surgery
In this section, patients share their advice and experiences with artificial discs, clinical trials and recovery from disc replacement surgery. Be sure to submit your own response as a resource for other patients considering artificial discs! Read more...
Back Pain Radio transcript: deciding on artificial disc replacement surgery
April 20, 2005
The decision to have artificial disc surgery is based on a combination of the patient’s history, response to conservative treatments and results from diagnostic tests, such as an MRI scan, x-ray and discogram. Read what Justin Tortolani, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon in Maryland and a member of Spine-health.com, and Grant Cooper, M.D., host of Back Pain Radio, had to say about the decision process for when to have artificial disc replacement surgery on the April 18, 2005 show. Read transcript…
New advancement in back care- Spine-health.com Newsletter
Recently there has been a great deal of media coverage about the potential upsides of the artificial disc and disc replacement surgery, as well as new developments for other types of spine surgery. This newsletter highlights new surgical techniques (including artificial discs and IDET) to help patients decide on the best treatment options for their back problems. Read more...
New advancements in spine
surgery - Spine-health.com Newsletter
Several important new spine surgery technologies are in various stages of development and you may want to consider these when making any decision about your treatment options. As with anything new in spine surgery, most of the information on the following developments remains theoretical, and longer term studies and follow-up are needed to fully understand the potential risks and benefits of each procedure. Read more...
Please note that these additional patient resources (such as The Back-to-Back Forum and Newsletters) on Spine-health.com are not peer-reviewed by the Spine-health.com Medical Advisory Board. They are provided as additional resources for patients to learn from the experiences of others and to gain information from our popular newsletters.
