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iSpine Discuss My 3 mo X ray - Discs tilted all over the place in the Main forums forums; Steve, Glad to here your doing so well. Keep it up and take it easy. I mentioned some time ago ...

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  #201 (permalink)  
Old 10-02-2009, 02:35 AM
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Steve,

Glad to here your doing so well. Keep it up and take it easy. I mentioned some time ago that I met a couple of 4 level cervical fusion patients. Both of them where doing great no post op pain or problems. You could barely tell any left to right rotation issues. They did have a bit of limit up and down. But overall very happy and normal.

I hope that others will follow your story and learn. There is a place for fusion as well as ADR. There is also a place for less invasive techniques such as foraminotomies and partial discectomies which should be the first surgical choice if possible.
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  #202 (permalink)  
Old 10-02-2009, 03:16 AM
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Wow! Thanks for telling me that Bill. Good to hear then.
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2/26/09 - c4-c7 3 level ADR Prodisc Nova with Dr Bertagnoli. 100% success.

9/22/09 -Dr B opened me up to find a staph infection was eating my vertebrae causing ADR subsidence. Had to remove all 3 ADR's and convert to 3 level fusion. Mostly pain free 2 weeks post op.

9/20/10 - I think I jinxed myself. As soon as I told dr b and dr Sullivan I was doing well (on 6/1/10) I tanked and have experienced the return of pain. My neuro says the new pain is at t4.
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  #203 (permalink)  
Old 10-08-2009, 01:31 AM
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I just found out that I actually got a corpectomy done after all. I noticed it on my discharge papers. I was confused because I specifically recall dr B saying "the good news is that we didnt have to do the corpectomy". I guess he meant, we didnt have to do 2 corpectomies as the dallas surgeon recommended. So I got a corpectomy at C5 and fusion at C4-7.

I immediately did some research into long term outcomes of corpectemies including many multi level corpectemies and it looks very good. It seems the danger in corpectemies is only during the surgery. But prognosis is that they hold up quite well. I just need to fuse well now. Basically, that infection ate my C5 vertebrae for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!! Darn critters.

I asked for, and will be granted a bone stimulator to aid in fusion. Bone stimulators are controversial as Dr B and this american doc dont think they really work. But I reserached on google for many hours and clearly, there is evidence that they do indeed work, but only in speeding up fusion. Studies seem to show that fusion without bone stimulators simply take alot longer. For me, the sooner I fuse the more free I will feel. Psychologically, I feel I wont have to worry about neck movements once Im fused, so Im all for anything that speeds it up. Plus, when I peruse back boards, it seems to me that 50% of the docs out there DO BELIEVE in them, so go figure. I wonder why half of the doctors say yes t hey work, and the other half say no they dont work. How can this be???? Are they reading the same studies?

At 2 weeks post op, I am able to fast pace walk 20 mins with no limp at the hip bone graft site, only minor ache. Im able to sit and work at my computer for unlimited hours it seems, only minor aches in my neck. I feel I could go back to work already for real. Im amazed. Maybe it's dumb luck or because of the work of Dr B. They say he is a master carpenter, and his name is immediately recognized by all 5 docs Ive been to! Hell, even my cousin's husband who sells medical devices knew his name too. Unbelievable. So Ill hang out at home for 1 more week and then start back to work. Been cleared for driving since Im doing so well so far. My only worry at this time is to have a successful fusion.
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2/26/09 - c4-c7 3 level ADR Prodisc Nova with Dr Bertagnoli. 100% success.

9/22/09 -Dr B opened me up to find a staph infection was eating my vertebrae causing ADR subsidence. Had to remove all 3 ADR's and convert to 3 level fusion. Mostly pain free 2 weeks post op.

9/20/10 - I think I jinxed myself. As soon as I told dr b and dr Sullivan I was doing well (on 6/1/10) I tanked and have experienced the return of pain. My neuro says the new pain is at t4.
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  #204 (permalink)  
Old 10-08-2009, 02:30 AM
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Steve, I'll be interested to see more about your new configuration. Sadly, the language of the surgeons is not always precise. Some surgeons use terms differently and it's frustrating to know what the terms are, but still be unable to decipher what was done.

I'm wondering if someone is referring to a partial corpectomy as a corpectomy? Is the entire vertebral body removed or just part of it? The hardware required would be completely different.

It sounds like you are making great progress. Keep it up and keep us posted.

Mark
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1997 MVA
2000 L4-5 Microdiscectomy/laminotomy
2001 L5-S1 Micro-d/lami
2002 L4-S1 Charite' ADR - SUCCESS!
2009 C3-C4, C5-C6-C7, T1-T2 ProDisc-C Nova
Summer 2009, more bad thoracic discs!
Life After Surgery Website
President: Global Patient Network, Inc.
Founder: www.iSpine.org
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  #205 (permalink)  
Old 10-08-2009, 03:54 AM
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Excellent point!! Maybe it was only partial. I'll email the asst doc and see what she says. I've bombarded her with emails lately so I'll wait a while before asking. Hey mark, maybe you can ask dr b for me the next time you run into him. Dr b knows I share everything with you, maybe you'll understand what they did to me better than I can. You're good at translating these medical terms into English for us. : )

The paperwork says c5 c6 corpectomy with iliac bone graft harvest and vectra cervical plate from c4-c7.

A partial corpectemy would make sense cause I swear I heard dr b tell me that the good news was that there was no corpectomy done and that I got a 3 level fusion.
__________________
2/26/09 - c4-c7 3 level ADR Prodisc Nova with Dr Bertagnoli. 100% success.

9/22/09 -Dr B opened me up to find a staph infection was eating my vertebrae causing ADR subsidence. Had to remove all 3 ADR's and convert to 3 level fusion. Mostly pain free 2 weeks post op.

9/20/10 - I think I jinxed myself. As soon as I told dr b and dr Sullivan I was doing well (on 6/1/10) I tanked and have experienced the return of pain. My neuro says the new pain is at t4.

Last edited by steve55; 10-08-2009 at 04:04 AM.
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  #206 (permalink)  
Old 10-08-2009, 05:44 PM
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Hey Steve,

Way to go. Glad you're feeling so good. It's been a long time coming.

A 70+ friend broke her arm in 7 places. She wasn't healing well until using the bone stimulator. Then she kept on getting infections and had to wear an intravenous anti-biotic machine for 24/7 until she starting sitting in the sun for 10-15 minutes daily. Just a thought.

Dale
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  #207 (permalink)  
Old 10-09-2009, 07:44 PM
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Steve,

Glad to here your still doing well. Stay positive and do the right things so you heal properly.
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  #208 (permalink)  
Old 10-24-2009, 05:01 PM
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Default New technology

Note to those considering older ball in socket designs which can get a bit out of control in multi-level cases, consider the M6 implant, it appears the new designs will have controled motion to help with this. I am looking at Stenum Hospital for 2-3 levels.
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  #209 (permalink)  
Old 10-25-2009, 09:31 PM
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Default ^ Joe56

^ Joe56 do you know anyone who has the M6 implant...
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C4-5: Mild disc height loss with central annular fissure. Small broad-based left paracentral disc protrusion. Moderate central canal stenosis-the disc protrusion abuts and mildly flattens the left ventral surface of the spinal canal.

C5-6: Disc desiccation with mild height loss.Diffuse discosteophyte bulge and uncovertebral joint hypertrophy, moderate central canal stenosis- Severe neuroforaminal stenosis bilaterally, right greater than left.
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  #210 (permalink)  
Old 10-26-2009, 05:42 AM
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Joe, I disagree with the concept that the M6 provides stability that is not present with the ball and socket style ADR's. I presume that the theory is that the woven 'annulus' provides additional help here. I've seen the M6 and it's a very interesting design. In theory, I do like what the pseudo annulus does... presumably providing some dampening of the motion at the ADR levels. However, I do not see this helping the 'out of control' concept of multi-level ADR.

The M6 is a mobile core device and, in practice, I see it having the same problem as other mobile core devices. If something provides some off-kilter loading, the core gets pushed to one side and it stays there. Search this forum for the word tiddly-winks and you'll find what I've written about mobile core devices. I have seen several M6 configurations that have this problem. It is a problem in single-level cases too but gets exaggerated in multi-level cases, especially if there is incorrect placement. (I have 3 clients who have had m6's explanted and know more.)

The ball and socket designs that have mobile cores (including the M6) will have this problem more than the stationary core designs. Having said that, I spoke to a friend tonight. He is the first patient in the world with a 4-level Mobi-C (highly mobile core) and is several years post-op with no stability issues at all.

I'm going to COPY the M6 posts to the M6 vs. ProDisc thread (M6 Cervical vs ProDisc) that was started a few days ago. This thread is very long and involved and devoted to Steve's ordeal.

All the best.

Mark
__________________
1997 MVA
2000 L4-5 Microdiscectomy/laminotomy
2001 L5-S1 Micro-d/lami
2002 L4-S1 Charite' ADR - SUCCESS!
2009 C3-C4, C5-C6-C7, T1-T2 ProDisc-C Nova
Summer 2009, more bad thoracic discs!
Life After Surgery Website
President: Global Patient Network, Inc.
Founder: www.iSpine.org
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  #211 (permalink)  
Old 10-26-2009, 08:27 AM
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I don't stop by enough but read your nightmare story and am glad you're on the mend.

I never thought that bone stimulators' efficacy was questioned.

Good luck to you.

Best, Allan
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  #212 (permalink)  
Old 10-31-2009, 08:39 PM
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Default M6 vs. other mobile cores

Mark,
I understand your concerns. What I have learned is that the Spinal Kinetics guys studied the physical characteristics of the human disc and placed these parameters into their test computers, then they began the process of prototyping an implant that replicated these characteristics. The result was a disc that might just be the first to actually deserve the name “artificial disc”. The goal of course is to return the spine to normal function. Now we both know that as the damage from years of degeneration progresses the other structures and tissues become unable to respond normally. The selection of candidates is critical. Surgeon placement errors and patients whose bodies just can’t keep the implants in place will always come up, but overall I think the goal of returning to a normal function is attractive. These guys at Stenum seem to have done the most and should have it down.

Joe
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