| Forum: iSpine  03-15-2008, 09:25 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 8
		 
			Views: 3,772
		 
			
				 Good luck 
 Allan, I am sorry that your condition is so bad.  Still, the fusion/ADR hybrid looks like a good surgery.  You get the ADR protection for the rest of the spine, and at L5/S1, you are not trying to...
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	| Forum: iSpine  03-14-2008, 09:53 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 8
		 
			Views: 3,772
		 
			
				 Ugh 
 I hate bad grammar.  "Anterior" is an adjective, not a noun.  Let's make that "if accessed via an anterior approach"
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	| Forum: iSpine  03-14-2008, 09:52 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 8
		 
			Views: 3,772
		 
			
				 I've thought about that 
 If the operated level is easily accessed, like L5/S1, I wouldn't be too worried about the keel vis a vis a revision.  The few reports I've read about revisions on keeled discs, they appear to be easy...
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	| Forum: iSpine  03-09-2008, 06:00 AM | 
	
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			Replies: 3
		 
			Views: 5,818
		 
			
				 Interested to hear more 
 Marty, I am very interested in what you and your doctor think those results mean.  You did have pain at L4/5, but the doctor does not recommend an ADR.  He thinks that level is negative, or is...
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	| Forum: iSpine  01-27-2008, 04:59 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 1
		 
			Views: 3,079
		 
			
				 Facet Disease 
 What does it look like?  What do healthy facets look like?
 
 When I look at my MRIs, I can see what's going on with my discs.  I see black discs, I can see how much height is left, I can see if...
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	| Forum: iSpine  01-13-2008, 06:18 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 10
		 
			Views: 4,716
		 
			
				 Entertainment 
 Further to the subtopic of entertainment.  I laboriously taped 100 DVDs from tv for my trip and managed to ruin them all.  So I was forced into books-on-iPod by default, and I really loved that. ...
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	| Forum: iSpine  01-13-2008, 02:34 AM | 
	
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			Replies: 10
		 
			Views: 4,716
		 
			
				 If you're not too tall 
 If you're not too tall, I found a way to be very comfortable.
 
 3 seats coach, together.  It's cheaper than one seat business class.  You can book good fares a month or so in advance, unlike...
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	| Forum: iSpine  01-05-2008, 02:40 AM | 
	
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			Replies: 7
		 
			Views: 5,366
		 
			
				 Oh also, may I ask you a question, e-gal?  
 ... 
 Oh also, may I ask you a question, e-gal?
 
 You said that scarring from a discectomy and IDET complicated your ADR surgery with Bertagnoli.  Meaning, scarring of the annulus?  I've heard that...
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	| Forum: iSpine  01-05-2008, 02:13 AM | 
	
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			Replies: 7
		 
			Views: 5,366
		 
			
				 E-Gal, thank you for the input.    
  
Certainly... 
 E-Gal, thank you for the input.
 
 Certainly seems that, if you had a positive response to facet injections, then the facets are causing some or all the leg pain.  Did you read Rosen's article, and...
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	| Forum: iSpine  12-09-2007, 09:18 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 7
		 
			Views: 5,366
		 
			
				 Leg Pain after ADR 
 Dr Charles Rosen has an interesting study on the internet, 24 patients suffering from back and leg pain after ADR surgery.  Among the interesting things in this paper, Rosen claims that the post-ADR...
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	| Forum: iSpine  12-01-2007, 06:03 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 8
		 
			Views: 4,203
		 
			
				 Mind if I ask a lot of questions? 
 Blair, I'm so grateful to you for sharing your difficult experiences.  I hope you don't mind me asking a lot of questions.
 
 I know you said that your facets started to go a few months after the ADR...
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	| Forum: iSpine  12-01-2007, 05:46 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 35
		 
			Views: 9,657
		 
			
				 Good explanation 
 Thanks, Mark, that makes sense.  I have read that autologous bone has a higher chance of success than allograft, and certainly can understand why BMP might be a risk in a hybrid.
 
 The hybrid sounds...
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	| Forum: iSpine  11-30-2007, 01:23 AM | 
	
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			Replies: 35
		 
			Views: 9,657
		 
			
				 Question 
 I'm so glad to hear that you're improving.  Just three weeks after a hybrid surgery, that's very good news.
 
 Can I ask a question?  Why did Zeegers choose autologous bone graft?
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	| Forum: iSpine  11-25-2007, 07:47 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 4
		 
			Views: 5,052
		 
			
				 ADR-Damaged Facet Syndrome 
 ADR-Damaged Facet Syndrome (ADFS).  If an acronym hasn't been coined yet, this is my suggestion.
 
 Like everyone considering ADR surgery, I'm sobered by the conventional wisdom that ADR is hard on...
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	| Forum: iSpine  11-14-2007, 02:11 AM | 
	
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			Replies: 53
		 
			Views: 12,927
		 
			
				 Hunh! 
 This is really interesting, and I sure would appreciate hearing your reactions.
 
 And in particular, does any one know what the hell a "non-inferiority margin [of 10%/12%]" is?
 
 Check out this...
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	| Forum: iSpine  11-03-2007, 06:53 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 53
		 
			Views: 12,927
		 
			
				 ans  
  
Wouldn't you know, I had to google to... 
 ans
 
 Wouldn't you know, I had to google to find your thoughtful posts, a few months ago, on the subject I'm pondering now.
 
 For what it's worth, here are my thoughts about one of your options,...
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	| Forum: iSpine  10-30-2007, 12:42 AM | 
	
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			Replies: 53
		 
			Views: 12,927
		 
			
				 Thank you all so much for the invaluable input... 
 Thank you all so much for the invaluable input and, of course, kind words.  I'm looking forward to thinking about what you've said, googling a bit, and then talking to you all more specifically. ...
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	| Forum: iSpine  10-27-2007, 05:56 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 53
		 
			Views: 12,927
		 
			
				 Choosing ADR or fusion 
 I am considering whether to do ADR or fusion at L5/S1.  I probably wouldn't consider fusion at all, but for this being a single level, and the level where (I believe I've heard) preserving motion is...
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	| Forum: iSpine  04-26-2007, 05:33 AM | 
	
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			Replies: 14
		 
			Views: 5,085
		 
			
				 Tell us 
 I'm glad you posted, as I am very interested in this new stuff.
 
 What was your problem going in to this--leg pain, back pain, both?  What kind of improvement, and how soon did you get the...
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	| Forum: iSpine  02-26-2007, 03:20 AM | 
	
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			Replies: 10
		 
			Views: 5,498
		 
			
				 Wish I had something constructive to offer 
 I surely know nothing about fusion.  When you ask if you are 'too far gone' for the newer technologies, obviously you're not talking about the levels that have already been fused, right?  I would...
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	| Forum: iSpine  02-19-2007, 07:07 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 10
		 
			Views: 5,498
		 
			
				 Final further thoughts 
 V  More Stuff on ADCT
 
 Finally, some thoughts and issues and new developments with ADCT.
 
 When you are doing ADCT not in conjunction with a disectomy, the first question is where to harvest the...
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	| Forum: iSpine  02-19-2007, 07:03 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 10
		 
			Views: 5,498
		 
			
				 More further thoughts 
 III Thermal annuloplasty/ablation of granulation tissue
 
 A normal disc is avascular, has no blood supply and, as previously noted, only the outer third of the annulus is innervated (has nerve...
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	| Forum: iSpine  02-19-2007, 06:59 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 10
		 
			Views: 5,498
		 
			
				 Further thoughts 
 Amazingly enough, I have one more long part to this already interminable piece.  This part will talk about combining ADCT and PDN with other therapies.  (May be split up, due to post length limits)
 ...
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	| Forum: iSpine  02-13-2007, 11:21 PM | 
	
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			Replies: 10
		 
			Views: 4,462
		 
			
				 Sorry to hear it 
 Maria, I'm sure we can all relate.  When you're lucky enough to see some improvement, it's so hard to go downhill again.
 
 It's a miserably tough decision, to pull the trigger on major surgery.  I...
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	| Forum: iSpine  02-13-2007, 03:04 AM | 
	
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			Replies: 10
		 
			Views: 5,498
		 
			
				 Part IIIb 
 RISKS
 
 1)  How much trauma is caused by the implantation procedure (remember, the annulus is left in place).
 
 The ADCT procedure is very minimally invasive.  I believe both the harvesting and...
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