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New device provides more benefits for patients
Having your vertebrae fused together in order to end back pain may seem extreme, but for many people it was the only way to solve the problem. Now the FDA has approved a new device, the Mobi-C® Cervical Disc Prosthesis, which can be inserted to replace a diseased disc that is causing pain, weakness or numbness.
Unlike a fusion, the Mobi-C allows for movement at the surgical site, so not only is the pain gone, but also there’s far better mobility than with a fusion, says Dr. Mirza Baig, who has already placed many devices into Humble Surgical Hospital patients.
“Before this we were doing traditional fusion procedures, which encourages bone growth and turns a mobile segment into a solid block of bone, and also has plates and screws,” Dr. Baig says. “ Now we can preserve the motion of the segment, and get one step closer to the reality of what nature intended the area to be.”
“We did one of the first two-level procedures in the country,” Dr. Baig adds. “We can not only place hardware that is mobile, and doesn’t encourage fusion or any bony formation, we can also put in more than one device. This is great news for a lot of individuals who have more than one problem area.”
In addition to restoring and maintaining a patient’s range of motion, the recovery time is less than that of fusion, adds Dr. Bonaventure Ngu.
“The Mobi-C also prevents disk degeneration above and below the affected disk level,” Dr. Ngu says. “That means that range of motion isn’t just restored, it is also better maintained. This also helps with long-term pain relief.”
Both physicians have performed dozens of the procedures so far, and say that Humble Surgical Hospital is leading the way nationwide for the procedure.
“The response from our patients has been great, so clearly the need is there,” Dr. Baig says. “I’m really excited that we are able to provide this technology to our patients.”