Artificial Disc Replacement As Good Or Better Than Spinal Fusion Surgery, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2009) — Spine surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other U.S. centers are reporting that artificial disc replacement works as well and often better than spinal fusion surgery.

The two procedures are performed on patients with damaged discs in the neck.

Researchers found patients who received an artificial disc lost less motion in the neck and recovered faster than those who had a disc removed and the bones of the spine fused.

“Those who received the artificial disc either did equally as well or a little bit better than those who had fusion surgery,” says K. Daniel Riew, M.D., a cervical spine surgeon at Washington University Orthopedics and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “One of the most important findings was that people who got the artificial disc were able to preserve all of their motion.” <>