Three presentations at the North American Spine Society annual meeting highlighted the mounting evidence for lumbar total disc replacement for patients with degenerative disc disease.
The NASS meeting took place Oct. 25 to Oct. 28, in Orlando, Fla.
Here is an overview of the three studies:
1. Jim Yue, MD, of New Haven, Conn.-based Quinnipiac University, presented the findings from a five-year outcomes study on Aesculap Implant Systems' activL Artificial Disc. ActivL is intended for one-level lumbar procedures as an alterative to fusion. The investigational device exemption study revealed both the activL and control positively impacted pain and disability at five years. Dr. Yue noted, however, that the activL was more likely to maintain segmental range of motion at five years as well as presented a higher safety profile.
2. Jack Zigler, MD, of Plano-based Texas Back Institute, presented data on a five-year meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials that compared lumbar disc replacement to fusion. Dr. Zigler reported total disc replacement was superior to fusion in regards to disability, re-operation and satisfaction.
3. Richard Guyer, MD, of Texas Back Institute, delivered a presentation regarding an ad hoc analysis on the activL IDE study, examining adjacent segment disease outcomes between disc replacement systems at five years. The analysis found a 9 percent adjacent segment disease rate for the activL compared to a 19 percent rate for the control.