About Artificial Disc Replacement
The goal of artificial disc replacement is to reduce pain and improve mobility in patients with chronic low-back (lumbar) pain. It is a new surgical spinal treatment that is being considered as an alternative to spinal fusion surgery.
An artificial disc (also called a disc replacement, disc prosthesis or spine arthroplasty device) is a device that is implanted into the spine to imitate the functions of a normal disc (carry load and allow motion).
There are many artificial disc designs classified into two general types: total disc replacement and disc nucleus replacement.
Most nucleus replacement devices are made of plastic-like (biopolymer) materials.
The device is compressible and by this means, allows motion, much like a normal disc nucleus. Another design consists of a piece of a plastic-like material that coils around to fill the nuclear cavity.
There are also disc replacements designed for use in the cervical spine (the neck). These devices have only been used a relatively short time, and several are currently undergoing evaluation in FDA-approved trials in the United States.
Who needs an artificial disc?
The indications for disc replacement may vary for each type of implant. Some general indications are pain arising from the disc that has not been adequately reduced with non-operative care such as medication, injections, chiropractic care and/or physical therapy. Typically, you will have had an MRI that shows disc degeneration. Often discography is performed to verify which disc(s), if any, is related to your pain.
There are several conditions that may prevent you from receiving a disc replacement. These include spondylolisthesis (the slipping of one vertebral body across a lower one), osteoporosis, vertebral body fracture, allergy to the materials in the device, spinal tumor, spinal infection, morbid obesity, significant changes of the facet joints (joints in the back portion of the spine), pregnancy, chronic steroid use or autoimmune problems.
Also, total disc replacements are designed to be implanted from an anterior approach (through the abdomen). You may be excluded from receiving and artificial disc if you previously had abdominal surgery or if the condition of the blood vessels in front of your spine increases the risk of significant injury during this type of spinal surgery.
Though no precise statistic is available on how many people are curing through this method, the general trend among surgeons is that in the US around 70 per cent of them are suggesting this as safe and more effective.
The success rate for artificial disc replacement is varying between 70% and 96%. These success rates for the artificial disc are significantly higher than fusion operations, which are usually rated between 50% and 55%.
Recovery time
Most patients have returned to regular activities between six and eight weeks after surgery