Artificial Disc Replacement More Effective Short Term for Degenerative Disc Disease, Study Says

Disc replacement surgeries may be more effective in the short term than spinal fusion for treating degenerative disc disease, according to a recent study in the ANZ Journal of Surgery. Lumbar fusion procedures are typically 60 to 80 percent effective and can lead to accelerated disc degeneration in adjacent levels, according to researchers. Artificial disc replacement preserves more motion but has not always lived up to its initial hype.

Between 2005 and 2012, researchers compared results from nine studies. They found little difference in adverse events, such as infection and nerve or blood vessel injury, between the two procedures. After two years, ADR patients had much lower pain scores than fusion patients. That result leveled off after five years, at which point the surgical outcomes have little difference.

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