Dr. Eric Gabriel and an assistant during the Pro Disc surgery.

The ProDisc-C Total Disc Replacement implant, about the circumference of a nickel and made of titanium with a polyethylene/cobalt chrome ball and socket design, offers patients suffering from spine conditions such as degenerative discs and bone spurs, with an alternative to spinal fusions.

The surgery only required a small incision in front of the neck to get to the unhealthy disc. During the 60-minute procedure, Dr. Gabriel and an operating room staff of about six associates, removed the patient’s degenerative disc at the C5 level of the spine and implanted the new artificial disc that allows for continued range of motion. Until now, the only alternative surgery was a spinal fusion, which involved fusing bones together by implanting bone grafts and metal plates and screws.

“Spinal fusions have been done for 60 years and are pretty tried and true. But the procedure has long-term consequences, because the spine is not used to being fused together, and it can create some increased stress on levels above and below the fusion,” Dr. Gabriel said. “Patients who undergo the ProDisc-C replacement will hopefully be more active after surgery, because we are now able preserve the range of motion. If we fused the spine, it would tend to limit their activity.”

The patient was a 44-year-old faux painter who complained of arm pain so bad that he would have to lie down when it flared up. He also had difficulty turning to check his blind spots while driving.

The Pro-Disc C Total Disc Replacement was approved for use in the United States late  last year by the FDA, though the device has been implanted in Europe since the early ‘90s. Dr. Gabriel is among the first surgeons in the city to perform the procedure.

The patient is expected to make a full recovery in a few weeks.

See streaming media presentation of the procedure

See coverage on First Coast News (10/10/08)