Artificial Lumbar Disc Offers More Flexibility

An artificial lumbar disc that mimics the function of a natural disc is designed to relieve chronic lower back pain and enhance range of movement for degenerative disc disease (DDD) patients.

The disc in now in US clinical trials. One of these is taking place at the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch (CINN, IL, USA). The hospital stay for the procedure is about one to three days. Patients can begin rehabilitation and return to daily activities soon after surgery. To be eligible, patients must be between 18 and 60 years old and have no more than one degenerative disc, accompanied by lower back pain for at least six months.

"The artificial disc is really the next generation of treatment and appears to be an excellent alternative to fusion,” noted Fred H. Geisler, M.D., Ph.D., a neurosurgeon at CINN who has performed the procedure on 42 patients. "Rather than immobilizing the joint, as is the case with fusion, the artificial disc is designed to restore normal height, motion, and angulation.”

The disc, called SB Charite III, was developed in Germany and is available from Link Spine Group (Branford, CT, USA).




Related Links:
Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch
Link Spine