Artificial spinal discs beats fusion surgery

Degenerative disc disease affects between 10 and 12 million people nationwide, with almost a third of them over 30 years of age. The disease occurs when spinal discs deteriorate, lose moisture, height and tissue integrity. As a result vertebrae rub against one another, resulting in severe pain.

Until now, when medical intervention such as physical therapy, exercise and pain medication failed, the traditional treatment has bee spinal fusion surgery in which two or more adjacent vertebrae are fused together. So common is the treatment that more than 200,000 fusing surgeries are performed each year in the U.S. to ease lower back pain.

Now the FDA has approved the implantation of artificial discs, manufactured by DePuy Spine to replace diseased discs. The procedure has been available outside the U.S. since 1987 and has been performed on more than 7500 patients. Although artificial replacements have commonly been used as implants for knees and hips, this is the first FDA 18Today's Medical Developments July/August 2005approval for use as spinal discs.

The disc is made of metal and has a high-density plastic center that when implanted helps align the spine and maintain its ability to move. Patients can bend and twist. With traditional spinal fusion, the result is a limitation of motion. Re