What is an artificial disc replacement?
An artificial disc replacement is an implant that will provide mobility in the lumbosacral spine. It is comprised of two titanium endplates with a mobile polyethylene core. It is implanted anteriorly through the abdomen. Its advantage over the currently FDA approved spinal fusion techniques is that it provides and restores mobility to a degenerative disc, which has lost mobility. It also has the advantage of avoiding additional stresses placed on adjacent levels to the abnormal level, which is sometimes found after a fusion operation is performed. Here level refers to the number or location of the disc or vertebra. There are several models of artificial discs being studied. The FDA is expected to approve the first model by late summer 2004. At The Spine Institute of Southern New Jersey, we are involved in the studies of these artificial discs, and many of our patients are candidates to have the artificial disc placed in the FDA study forum. Currently, when such a device is to be implan
