FDA Approves Spinal Disc Implant
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
A cage-like metal device that can be implanted to help vertebrae fuse in patients with diseased spinal discs has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The device, made by Spine-Tech Inc. of Minneapolis, was approved only for patients who have degenerative disc disease, a condition in which the cushioning tissue between spinal segments has wasted away. The device is surgically inserted into the disc space between two vertebrae and then packed with bone from the patient. An evaluation of 254 patients showed that the device reduced pain for 184 of them.
