Interest in lumbar disc arthroplasty as an alternative to fusion surgery continues to grow. The goal of disc arthroplasty is to replace the diseased disc while preserving and/or restoring motion at the operated spinal level. Different paradigms exist in the design of total disc arthroplasty devices. The purpose of this study was to compare the in vitro biomechanics of a more constrained ball-and-socket design (Prodisc-L, Synthes Spine and Maverick, Medtronic) and a less constrained mobile-bearing design (Charité, DePuy). The biomechanical performances of the disc prostheses were compared to the fused and harvested spine conditions.
In Vitro Testing of Lumbar Disc Arthroplasty Devices
