Artificial disc replacement. Preliminary report with a 3-year minimum follow-up

Area of Science:

• Spinal Surgery
• Biomaterials Science
• Orthopedic Biomechanics

Background:

• Degenerative disc disease is a common cause of back pain.
• Artificial disc replacement (ADR) aims to preserve motion and reduce adjacent segment degeneration.
• The Acroflex disc is a novel prosthesis designed for spinal fusion and motion preservation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the preliminary clinical outcomes of the Acroflex artificial disc replacement.
• To assess the biomechanical performance and fixation of the Acroflex prosthesis.
• To identify factors influencing the success or failure of Acroflex disc arthroplasty.

Main Methods:

• Six patients underwent Acroflex artificial disc replacement for various spinal conditions.
• Average patient age was 55 years with a mean follow-up of 3.4 years.
• The Acroflex disc features a rubber core and titanium end plates with porous surfaces for bone ingrowth.

Main Results:

• Satisfactory clinical results were achieved in four out of six patients.
• Prosthetic failure and poor outcomes were associated with spinal deformity and isolated disc resorption.
• The study observed an average of 8 degrees angular and 2.3 mm translational motion, with satisfactory bone ingrowth at interfaces.

Conclusions:

• The Acroflex artificial disc demonstrated promising preliminary results in motion preservation surgery.
• Patient-specific factors like deformity can impact the success of artificial disc arthroplasty.
• Further investigation is warranted to optimize patient selection and prosthesis design for ADR.