News University Medical Center Brackenridge Performs First Cervical Disc Replacement Surgery with ProDisc®-C

AUSTIN, Texas - (August 26, 2008) - University Medical Center Brackenridge, a member of the Seton Family of Hospitals, performs another first. On Monday, August 25, Dr. Daniel Peterson, a neurosurgeon with the Brain and Spine Center at Brackenridge, performed the first ProDisc®-C Total Disc Replacement implant in Austin.

The ProDisc®-C is designed to treat patients suffering from cervical disc degeneration and disc herniation, which occurs when natural shock absorbers in the cervical spine become worn and start to degenerate, often resulting in pain, discomfort, and impaired cervical mobility creating neck and upper arm pain.

"The common surgery for this condition is an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF)," said Dr. Daniel Peterson, neurosurgeon, Brain and Spine Center at Brackenridge. "But with ACDF procedures a bone graft is needed to create one solid piece of bone which eliminates motion of the spine. With the ProDisc®-C, there's no need for bone graft and the device is inserted into the disc space which potentially can allow some motion."

The ProDisc®-C is composed of top and bottom metal endplates and a plastic inlay that forms a ball and socket joint. This implant provides the possibility for motion by allowing the top endplate to move over the plastic ball attached to the bottom endplate.

The ProDisc®-C was approved by the Federal Drug Administration in December 2007.