Artificial disc
Role of artificial disc (prosthesis)
Different articles about the important role of a cervical disc prosthesis in the treatment of cervical disc herniations in younger patients (under 50 years old) continue to be published in prestigious international journals. The last article published in the famous journal “SPINE” last month confirms it. I am one of the international “referees” of this journal since many years. You may be able to view an abstract of this article on the attached website. In summary, the authors observed that in more than 200 patients operated for a cervical disc herniation, with an average of 5 years follow-up, into which disc space had been inserted a movable disc prosthesis (“total disc replacement”), the incidence of subsequent interventions on the cervical spine for a new herniated discs at other levels was 5 times lower (2.9% ) compared to patients in which was inserted a “cage ” to get to an intervertebral fusion (14.5%). It is well known that I have been a supporter since about 10 years of the cervical disc prosthesis in young patients, in whom there is an indication to the anterior microsurgical treatment of a soft cervical herniation. This further confirmation on a substantial number of patients published in the renowned journal SPINE confirms my positive experience with this technique that not all neurosurgeons perform.
References :
http://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/Abstract/2013/04200/Five_Year_Reoperation_Rates,_Cervical_Total_Disc.2.aspx
Attachments :
Cervical disc prosthesis : our protocol