With the exception of colds and
flu, backaches send more people to the doctor
than any other ailment.
The problem is so serious that this year more
than 190,000 Americans will seek relief through
lumbar spinal fusion surgeries.
Cape Girardeau Neurosurgeon Scott R. Gibbs, M.D,
recently introduced a revolutionary new approach
to the treatment of low back pain at Southeast
Missouri Hospital's Regional Brain and Spine Center
in November 2002. |
Dr. Scott R. Gibbs |
| Southeast is one of only a small
number of institutions offering the new procedure,
which was approved by the U.S. FDA last July.
The procedure uses a new product called INFUSE
TM Bone Graft/LT-CageTM Lumbar Tapered Fusion
Device, which contains a genetically engineered
version of a naturally occurring protein capable
of initiating bone growth, or bone regeneration,
in specific, targeted areas of the spine.
"INFUSE Bone Graft represents a new approach
to fusion for the treatment of low back pain and
is a major advance in traditional spine surgery,"
said Dr. Gibbs. The combination of a biological
product with a carrier device, intended to effectively
fuse vertebrae in the spine, "is a significant
step for both physicians and patients," he
added.
For patients requiring spinal fusions, the use
of this biologic in surgery has several advantages.
It reduces pain and the risk of complications
by eliminating the second surgery required to
harvest bone from a patient's hip, as is done
in many traditional spinal fusion procedures,
Dr. Gibbs explained.
Degenerative disc disease is a disorder of the
spine that can be painful and debilitating in
patients who would otherwise lead active lives.
The disease occurs when discs in the spine are
damaged beyond repair. Pain comes from the damaged
discs themselves or is caused by the discs or
bone impinging on nearby nerve roots. By the age
of 50, about 85 percent of the population shows
evidence of at least some disc degeneration, though
the majority of these cases are asymptomatic .
Spinal fusion surgery, Dr. Gibbs explained, essentially
"welds" two or more vertebrae together
to eliminate the pain from a damaged disc. In
traditional spinal fusion procedures, surgeons
insert pieces of the patient's own bone and/or
donor bone between the vertebrae to bridge the
space and promote new bone. But, the traditional
operation requires two surgeries -- one to harvest
small pieces of bone from the patient's hip and
a second operation to insert them in the spine.
"Studies have shown that the bone harvesting
procedure can be more painful than the spinal
fusion itself," Dr. Gibbs said. "This
new procedure is quicker, less expensive and,
most importantly, less painful and more successful
for patients."
The procedure requires a hospital stay of one
to three days, compared to an average of three
to five days for traditional spinal fusion surgery.
To use INFUSE Bone Graft, the surgeon must be
specially trained to apply the genetically engineered
protein to collagen sponges and place the sponges
inside each of two LT-CAGE Lumbar Tapered Fusion
Devices, which are then implanted between the
vertebrae. The thimble-like cages stabilize the
spine while it is fusing, and they also maintain
proper height between the vertebrae.
|
