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First, disc replacements in the neck are much easier for surgeons to accomplish than those in the low back. In fact, disc replacements for the lumbar spine are “dangerous”, according to Dr. Jack Stern, a neurosurgeon from White Plains, New York. Dr. Stern says the surgeon must go in through the front in both procedures, which means some body structures have to be moved out of the way. This is to access the spine. In the neck, all that needs to be moved is the esophagus and the trachea. But in the low back, he says, there are many more organs that will be displaced in order to insert the artificial device in the spine. Unlike in the neck, there are arteries and veins (the iliac artery and vein) that need to be moved in lumbar disc replacement surgery. If the surgeon happens to poke a hole in either of them during the procedure, the risk of bleeding to death is there. And if you need a revision surgery after a disc replacement, it’s quite possible that your surgeon will not be willing to perform it. This is because the first surgery probably created scar tissue on the artery or vein. The scar tissue has to be cut as part of the second procedure. Revision surgery in the low back is just too risky, Stern told About.com.
Dr. Stern calls the lumbar disc replacement "hype". He says, "the best surgical hands notwithstanding, you can’t justify even one death relating to back pain." About the cervical disc replacement, he says that after three months, it yields about the same results as a spinal fusion.
| When Shopping for Disc Surgery | Back Pain | Spinal Fusion for Back Pain? |
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Dr. Stern obviously does not, and never has, lived with back pain.
I have 9 colapsed discs in my back and neck and more every year, sooner the Dr’s can fined a way to help us, all of us the better .I was never in a smash of any sort an i am only 31, what dose the dr think people like me will fell like in 40 years,all the pain or the risk of an operation there just is no question about it.
I had a lumbar disc replaced and not only feel completely normal again but the surgeon also used a vascular shield in order to make revision easier should it ever be required. Unlike Stern the surgeon I had looked for solutions rather than problems…..
I agree that this doctor has no clue how disruptive back pain is. 10 000 replacements in the EU is not hype, he wants do what he is comfortable with regardless of the outcome.