Artificial Lumbar Disc Surgery uses Principle Similar to Knee & Hip Replacement

Artificial lumbar disc surgery to replace degenerative discs may soon join the ranks of knee replacement and hip replacement as a means to greater mobility and quality of life. The surgery was developed by spine specialists in Germany as an alternative to spinal fusion, still the most common approach for treating degenerative disc disease.
 
The Food and Drug Administration approved the procedure in 2007 after their review of two years of clinical trials in the U.S. It has a long and successful track record in Europe.
 
Neurosurgeons at Lancaster NeuroScience & Spine Associates performed the first artificial lumbar disc replacement in this area in January, 2005. Described as a breakthrough in non-fusion technology, it offers an innovative surgical option for patients suffering the pain of degenerative discs and related conditions.
 
Drs. Chris Kager and Keith Kuhlengel have undergone specialized training in artificial lumbar disc surgery. They predict that the new procedure will offer the same reliability that knee replacements and hip replacements give patients, allowing them similar freedom of movement as the discs they replaced once had.
 
The artificial disc is a three-piece device made up of a sliding core, sandwiched between two metal endplates. The surgeon goes in through the patient’s abdomen, removes the damaged disc, and installs the artificial device. By going through the abdomen instead of cutting through the large back muscles, recovery time is reduced.
 
The core is made from a medical grade plastic, and the endplates are of a medical grade metal alloy. The materials do not harm the human body. They are made of the same material used in other medical implants. The endplates support the core, with small teeth that secure them to the vertebrae above and below the disc space. The sliding core fits in between the endplates. The device has a positive 17-year history of safety and durability, proven through thousands of implants worldwide. There are two significant advantages of artificial lumbar disc replacement over spinal fusion surgery. First, with spinal fusion, pain is typically alleviated, but flexibility of the spine is limited around the affected disc. The artificial lumbar disc allows the spine to move, similar to a replacement hip or knee. Second, the artificial disc does not require the bone graft that is often used with spinal fusion surgery. That graft is usually removed from the patient’s hip, giving the patient two incisions that must heal.
 
The outcome for pain elimination with the two procedures is similar, according to the surgeons. But they inform patients that disc replacement is less invasive, and that it has the potential to maintain motion and restore flexibility. They also point out those patients with osteoporosis, severe arthritis, or disc degeneration at more than one spinal level are not likely candidates.