The Treatment

During the Prodisc-C Total Disc Replacement procedure, the surgeon removes the diseased intervertebral disc, decompresses the neurological elements and inserts a motion preserving Prodisc-C implant into the disc space. The Prodisc-C total disc replacement surgery is intended to:

 

–	Remove the diseased disc
–	Restore normal disc height
–	Decompress the neurological structures
–	Preserve motion in the affected vertebral segment
–	Improve patient function

The Design

The Prodisc-C Total Disc Replacement design is based on a ball and socket principle.  The Prodisc-C implant is composed of three implant components – two metal endplates and a plastic inlay, as illustrated below:

The endplates have a patented central keel for initial fixation to the vertebrae and a plasma-sprayed titanium coating on all bone contacting surfaces to promote bony on growth. The Prodisc-C implant materials have historically been used in total joint replacement and have been used in spinal arthroplasty procedures for two decades.

 

The Prodisc-C is available in a variety of sizes to allow surgeons to accurately match a patient’s anatomy.

 

A multi-center Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) trial in the USA proved the safety and effectiveness of the Prodisc-C implant to treat symptomatic nerve root and/or spinal cord compression associated with degenerative disc disease (e.g. arm pain with or without neck pain, functional deficit, and/or neurological deficit).