Surgeons gathered at the inaugural Lumbar Total Disc Replacement Summit to encourage lumbar total disc replacement as the standard of care for lumbar degenerative disc disease.
Here are five things to know:
1. The summit also intended to raise awareness about the procedure among payers.
2. Surgeons presented studies with clinical evidence supporting lumbar total disc replacement as an alternative to spinal fusion, during the summit.
3. During the summit, a 19-surgeon panel established a general consensus on the patient groups who should be able to access lumbar total disc replacement through theirpayers.
4. The panel wants to publish their discussion's outcomes to present to payers.
5. Center Valley, Pa.-based Aesculap Implant Systems funded part of the summit.
"There is a general lack of understanding by the payers of how well lumbar TDR has been studied and how positive the outcomes have been," said Lynn Miller, MD, a Minnesota-based neurosurgeon.