ABINGTON, Pa., April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- In one of the first procedures of its kind in the area, Jonas Gopez, M.D., of the Department of Neurosurgery, has performed artificial disc replacement surgery using the Charite artificial disc.
When the Food and Drug Administration approved the Charite artificial disc in October 2004, its action instilled new hope for patients living with low back pain - those for whom physical therapy, medications and back braces had failed.
“During artificial disc replacement, the degenerated disc is removed from between the vertebrae and an artificial disc made of a plastic polyethylene core sandwiched between two cobalt chromium endplates is anchored into adjacent vertebrae,” said Gopez. “Just like other artificial joints, the artificial disc is a motion-preserving device.”
The Charite artificial disc is an alternative to spinal fusion for patients who have one degenerated disc between L4 and L5 or between L5 and S1. A degenerated disc that is one that has worn out or become injured and causes debilitating low back pain.
To be eligible for artificial disc replacement, patients must have failed at least six months of conservative treatment. People with poor bone quality, such as osteopenia and osteoporosis, are not candidates for this procedure, nor are those with disc deterioration or instability at more than one spinal level.
According to Gopez, the disc has been available for over 17 years in more than 30 countries and has been extensively studied in clinical and laboratory settings before achieving FDA approval.
The previous standard of care was spinal fusion, with 200,000 being done in the United States each year. In this procedure, the surgeon essentially “locks” the two vertebrae together using metal screws and rods, and replaces the disc with hard bone. Fusion creates immobility on the portion of the spine that has been treated and can result in recurrent back pain years later.
Abington Memorial Hospital is a 508-bed, regional acute care hospital with a medical staff of more than 600 physicians and 5,000 employees. These professionals provide medical care and health services to residents of Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
A regional provider, Abington Memorial Hospital has the only Level II, accredited trauma center in Montgomery County and offers highly specialized services in cardiac care, cancer care, maternal child health, neurosurgery and orthopaedics.
Abington Memorial Hospital
CONTACT: Linda Millevoi or Beth Ann Neill, Abington Memorial Hospital,+1-215-481-8966
Web site: http://www.amh.org/