ArthroCare Corp. (Nasdaq: ARTC), a leader in developing state-of-the-art, minimally invasive surgical products, announced that a study demonstrating the effectiveness of plasma disc decompression (PDD) for treating patients with contained disc herniation was presented from the podium last week at the Eighth-Annual Spine Arthroplasty Society meeting. PDD is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that can be performed under local anesthesia and light sedation.
Alessandro Cesaroni, MD, vice chief in neurosurgery, Policlinico Casilino Hospital, Rome, Italy, and principal investigator presented prospective, randomized, controlled study of 85 patients comparing PDD to conservative care for the treatment of contained cervical disc herniation. The study found that PDD patients enjoyed earlier resolution of symptoms and functional improvement, and had significantly greater pain relief at 12 months. One-year results for the trial have also been accepted as an oral presentation at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting in October 2008.
"In our study, we determined PDD to be an effective alternative for patients who experience pain and symptoms associated with cervical disc herniation that do not resolve spontaneously over time. PDD patients experienced significantly greater reduction in pain than patients under conservative care at both six- and twelve-month follow-up visits," said Dr. Cesaroni.
The PDD procedure is used to treat patients with symptoms associated with a contained disc herniation. The procedure utilizes Coblation®, a patented technology that uses electrical energy combined with a conductive medium, such as saline solution, to form a plasma that gently and precisely dissolves soft tissue, at relatively low temperatures, minimizing damage to adjacent, healthy tissue. The result is that when a portion of the disc nucleus is removed, the herniated disc is decompressed. Approximately 100,000 PDD procedures have been performed to date. The Federal Food and Drug Administration cleared Coblation for use in PDD procedures in 2001.
Results from a second PDD study by Peter C. Gerszten, MD, associate professor of neurological surgery and director of the Percutaneous Spine Service at the University of Pittsburgh, compared PDD to fluoroscopy-guided transforminal epidural injections (TFESI) for contained lumbar disc herniation was displayed as a poster in the Exhibit Hall. Dr. Gerszten's multi-center, prospective randomized controlled study of 90 patients with leg and back pain due to contained lumbar disc herniation concluded patients treated with PDD experienced significantly greater pain reduction and improved quality of life at six weeks, three months and six months following the procedure.
"Contained lumbar disc herniation is a difficult condition to treat and often responds poorly to conservative care," said Dr. Gerszten. "This study concluded PDD reduced leg and back pain and impacted the patient's quality of life, suggesting PDD is a viable treatment alternative."
Quality of life was measured using SF-36 physical component summary scores, which revealed significantly more PDD patients were satisfied with treatment than TFESI patients, six months after treatment.
Dr. Gerszten's trial results will also be presented as an oral presentation at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting in October 2008.
Alessandro Cesaroni, MD, vice chief in neurosurgery, Policlinico Casilino Hospital, Rome, Italy, and principal investigator presented prospective, randomized, controlled study of 85 patients comparing PDD to conservative care for the treatment of contained cervical disc herniation. The study found that PDD patients enjoyed earlier resolution of symptoms and functional improvement, and had significantly greater pain relief at 12 months. One-year results for the trial have also been accepted as an oral presentation at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting in October 2008.
"In our study, we determined PDD to be an effective alternative for patients who experience pain and symptoms associated with cervical disc herniation that do not resolve spontaneously over time. PDD patients experienced significantly greater reduction in pain than patients under conservative care at both six- and twelve-month follow-up visits," said Dr. Cesaroni.
The PDD procedure is used to treat patients with symptoms associated with a contained disc herniation. The procedure utilizes Coblation®, a patented technology that uses electrical energy combined with a conductive medium, such as saline solution, to form a plasma that gently and precisely dissolves soft tissue, at relatively low temperatures, minimizing damage to adjacent, healthy tissue. The result is that when a portion of the disc nucleus is removed, the herniated disc is decompressed. Approximately 100,000 PDD procedures have been performed to date. The Federal Food and Drug Administration cleared Coblation for use in PDD procedures in 2001.
Results from a second PDD study by Peter C. Gerszten, MD, associate professor of neurological surgery and director of the Percutaneous Spine Service at the University of Pittsburgh, compared PDD to fluoroscopy-guided transforminal epidural injections (TFESI) for contained lumbar disc herniation was displayed as a poster in the Exhibit Hall. Dr. Gerszten's multi-center, prospective randomized controlled study of 90 patients with leg and back pain due to contained lumbar disc herniation concluded patients treated with PDD experienced significantly greater pain reduction and improved quality of life at six weeks, three months and six months following the procedure.
"Contained lumbar disc herniation is a difficult condition to treat and often responds poorly to conservative care," said Dr. Gerszten. "This study concluded PDD reduced leg and back pain and impacted the patient's quality of life, suggesting PDD is a viable treatment alternative."
Quality of life was measured using SF-36 physical component summary scores, which revealed significantly more PDD patients were satisfied with treatment than TFESI patients, six months after treatment.
Dr. Gerszten's trial results will also be presented as an oral presentation at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting in October 2008.
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