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Treatment of diseased and painful joints of the knees and hips
by artificial joint replacement has been in standard practice for
nearly a generation. In the spine, however, replacement of diseased
and pain causing disc material between the vertebrae is only now
becoming a reality. Research into developing an artificial disc
replacement has been in the experimental phase for nearly 40 years.
Recently, viable treatment options with disc replacement implants
are being evaluated in the United States, while in Europe, where
a few devices are already on the market, more than 4,500 disc replacements
have been performed.
The purpose of artificial disc replacement is to restore the normal
disc height while maintaining the natural movement between the vertebrae
and thus alleviating the pain caused by degenerative disc disease.
There are various types of disc replacement devices including an
artificial disc composed of a polyethylene core sandwiched between
two metal plates and a pillow-like prosthetic disc nucleus, which
replaces only the soft center of the disc while retaining the firmer
disc walls.
The United States Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved
any artificial disc replacement for use. Researchers are still collecting
data on the safety and effectiveness of artificial disc replacements.
More testing is needed before these devices will be available to
the general public but it may occur as early as the beginning of
2004.
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