Todd H. Lanman, MD, FAANS, FACS (et al)
Lumbar total disc replacement is a surgical procedure that is used to relieve back pain and maintain maximum physical mobility in patients. Medical technology is rapidly developing to give patients new options for surgical implants. The newest devices bond metal and synthetic materials (polyethylene) with surgical techniques that form a durable bond with bone. This study was intended to evaluate the new devices and examine how well they were performing. Among the concerns of Dr. Lanman and his colleagues were to evaluate devices made from ultra-high-molecular-weight-poly-ethylene (UHMWPE) and see if the new material was performing better than existing designs. The physicians evaluated periprosthetic tissues from 11 patients who received their implants up to 4 years before the study. This study appeared in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research and was originally published online November 2015. Dr. Lanman was joined by Sai Y. Veruva BS, Jorge E. Isaza MD, Daniel W. MacDonald MS, Steven M. Kurtz Ph.D., and Marla J. Steinbeck MT(ASCP), Ph.D.
