New Artificial Disc May Help Neck Pain

[Angel]

A new artificial cervical disc may give hope to the thousands of neck pain sufferers looking for an option not including vertebrae fusion.

A herniated cervical disc can cause chronic neck and arm pain. The current treatment for this condition involves surgery to fuse the affected part of the spine, resulting in limited mobility of the neck. While the procedure can relieve pain, it can also lead to herniation of other discs over time.

Artificial discs that maintain normal neck motion have been available outside of the United States for several years. Now, FDA-approved multi-center trials have concluded in the United States, and researchers say they expect the artificial discs to become an available alternative to disc fusion surgery in the near future.

Researchers compared two groups. One group of 54 patients received the standard treatment of cervical discectomy and fusion. The other group of 66 patients received cervical discectomy followed by implantation of the PRESTIGE ST artificial cervical disc.

Researchers say the outcomes for both groups were approximately similar. The group with artificial discs, however, reported greater maintenance of neck motion.