A new study published in Spine examines outcomes for single-level lumbar total disc replacement.
The prospective, single-center study examines 10-year outcomes for 122 patients who underwent lumbar disc replacement with the Charite Artificial Disc. Patients were 43 years old on average when the procedure took place and 96.7 percent of the patients were diagnosed with degenerative disc disease. Nearly 78 percent of the patients had surgery at L5-S1 while the remaining patients had surgery at L4-5.
Study authors found:
1. Patients reported statistically significant clinical improvements in the Visual Analog Scale, Oswestry Disability Index, SF-36 PCS, SF-36 MCS and RMDQ at three months after surgery and beyond.
2. By the final follow-up, average Back VAS scores improved from 78.2 to 21.9 and ODI scores decreased from 51.1 to 16.2
3. RMDQ scores decreased from 16.7 to 4.2 during the study period. SF-36 PCS scores increased from 25.7 to 46.4 and MCS scores increased from 35.5 to 51.6.
4. Almost all, 90.5 percent, of the patients reported satisfaction as "excellent" or "good" two years after the procedure.
5. Patients had an average range of motion of 8.6 degrees, with the median being 8 degrees, at their last follow-up.
"Outcomes verify the clinical efficacy of total disc replacement for treatment of discogenic back pain with or without radiculopathy," the study authors concluded.