Implant Gives New Alternative For Neck Pain Relief
July 21, 2007
It used to be if you had a bad disc in your neck, the only solution was to remove it and fuse your vertebrae together.
The recovery was long and it left patients with less ability to move their necks, but there’s a new alternative and a local hospital helped develop it.
The prestige cervical disc is a new implant approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
It’s the first artificial disc for the neck. The implant is two pieces of stainless steel with a ball and groove construction. This allows for some movement.
The spine in the neck consists of seven bones. In between the bones is a spongy, cushiony disc which allows for rotation and bending.
Traditionally, surgical treatment involves removing a diseased disc and fusing two or more of the bones.
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With the new implant, the doctors take out the discs that aren’t working right. They attach the artificial disc into the neighboring neck bones.
“For the first time we have a motion-preserving device that lets you keep motion in your spine,” Dr. Donald Whiting, from Allegheny General Hospital, said.
FDA approval is based on research in more than 500 people which showed this procedure is just as safe and effective as the traditional approach.
“What we don’t know yet is will it reduce the wear and tear on the levels above and below,” Whiting said. “Ten years down the road, 20 years down the road, we don’t know, we may have to go back in and correct it.”
Right now, insurance may not cover it and further study over the next seven years will look at longer term safety and effectiveness.
Posted by toshko under Pain Relief News |