F-D-A approves first artificial spinal disc
WASHINGTON Patients with persistent, lower back pain may have a new surgical weapon. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first artificial spinal disc, a device long used in Europe.
The disc, a plastic core sandwiched by two metal plates, is intended as an alternative to spinal fusion surgery. The operation eases pain, but can put more pressure on other discs. More than 200-thousand Americans undergo spinal fusion surgery each year.
The government says patients with the artificial disc did no worse than patients who had spinal fusion surgery.
The manufacturer, DePuy Spine of Raynham, Massachusetts, was more glowing in its own assessment. It says patients who received the artificial disc left the hospital sooner and were more satisfied.
The F-D-A said the disc can be implanted only in patients who have degenerative disc disease and who have had no relief from non-surgical treatment.
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