European Surgeons & Cervical ADR type

[Runner16]

Hello,

I know this can be a contentious subject but I would welcome any information, feel free to PM.

I am leaning towards surgery overseas due to cost, experience and more ADR's available.

I have contacted 2 German Surgeons, only dealt with the liasons. One experience was as expected, but the other evaluation is a mess, confused and unclear. Yikes.

ADR: I have read the placement and surgeon is the most important. I have decided to eliminate the Mobi-C and Prodisc C. I have not eliminated the Prodisc Nova, M6 and haven't researched others yet.

Anyone know a surgeon in Argentina? I've always wanted to go there...LOL.

Thanks all.
Runner

[phillyjoe]

how about Brasil? Luiz Piementa!

[dman777]

I haven't heard of any negative experiences with the Mobi-C disc, what made you eliminate that as an option?

[Runner16]

Thanks PhillyJoe, he's on the right continent, lol

Re Mobi, none of the surgeons I'm interested in so far use it.

[Kirisuchina]

Hello,

I know this can be a contentious subject but I would welcome any information, feel free to PM.

I am leaning towards surgery overseas due to cost, experience and more ADR's available.

I have contacted 2 German Surgeons, only dealt with the liasons. One experience was as expected, but the other evaluation is a mess, confused and unclear. Yikes.

ADR: I have read the placement and surgeon is the most important. I have decided to eliminate the Mobi-C and Prodisc C. I have not eliminated the Prodisc Nova, M6 and haven't researched others yet.

Anyone know a surgeon in Argentina? I've always wanted to go there...LOL.

Thanks all.
Runner

There is Dr. Christopher Dare near Southampton, England--an hour + south of London Heathrow. He does the M6 disc. I was able to speak with him by telephone, after sending my MRI. You can contact him through his secretary, Karen Hammond, karen.hammond@nuffieldhealth.com

[Runner16]

Thanks Kirisuchina.

FYI; Coincidentally I just spoke with a US Surgeon and the Mobi-C came up.

He said that Mobi-C is easier to put in but generally surgeons are going back to the Prodisc-C. He prefers the Keel for stability and says for multi level surgeries the Mobi-C isn't constrained and allows too much movement for multi level. He said he was on a panel evaluating the Mobi-C and saw some issues with too much movement.

Just sharing for what it is worth.

[GKTM300]

Due to your m6 feelings n cervical issues Google hangmans fracture n m6 also go to bertagnolis website n read!!! It's lack of rotational movement can cause a hangs man fracture in upper cervical area if trama is experienced like a car accident. Only several people have ever lived thru it. I'm not sure if the lady had an m6 or not but a lady had a hangmans fracture after ADR in cervical n was left with a halo n no options according to us surgeons n Bertagnoli fixed her.

It's a good read anyways n I don't doubt it's accuracy. Just a thought for your future ADR neck .

[phillyjoe]

I have a real interest in 3 level cervical M6's and serious trauma. So I did google the search terms you described. I didn't find any scholarly articles. Might you be able to post links that discuss a higher association with M6 type core devices?

High velocity hyper extension and distraction does seem to be associated with C3-4 par interarticularis fractures. Thank God, when I suffered such a trauma within exactly 2 weeks of getting my 3 level M6C's, no such fractures have yet been detected on either x rays or Ct Scan. I did however enjoy 8 staples placed in the back of my head to stop the bleeding...

Many of us are focused on how M6 devices might hold up in, for example, a car accident. So far, I believe that they will hold up well. Not much thought is given to how the other levels hold up.

The fact that SK doesn't offer a very wide variety of sizes, could be seen as a shortcoming of that disc, if your surface area is bigger than the largest endplate, like me. Given that my bone density is not the greatest, the concern is elevated. But I am happy to live with my decision, trusting both in my doctor and in my research. Nothing is perfect, although things were fairly close to perfect immediately following surgery. I am now about 8 weeks out from my fall, but only about 4 weeks into PT

I get my motion and flex xrays end of September.

I hope you are still on track for your surgery with Dr Bertagnoli. Is it scheduled for Sept or Oct? Can't tell from your signature. He is known to take tough cases, even revisions, so you should do just fine. How many conversations-skpe have you had with him ?

[GKTM300]

Under disc type at prospines website I think it is. N under patient reviews. That bertagnolis site. Yeah I'm scared crapless can't eat or sleep I'm leaving Wednesday I think. Had a high number on one of my blood tests but I haven't heard anything from Germany. I'm praying to just get it over with. When people say they were nervous I would read it n think yeah of course. But now that it's me I'm so nervous words can not describe how I feel. I'm phobic about flying never flown. I'm phobic about leaving USA Never even went to Canada. I am phobic with needles had all my teeth pulled with no Novocain. N I'm phobic about surgery. My whole body is trembling inside. I had to go to a rental office I own that's vacant to live because I can't even pay attention. I feel like I'm coming apart. I sure hope this operation works. I read all the negitive outcomes n think oh boy I hope mine works. But then I try to remember the people that are cured r mostly abandoned these sites n are out living it up. I can't imagine this is a lifetime cure but I hope to get at least 5-10 years of no or light pain! It seems like the more complicated the case the better the outcome with Bertagnoli. But I also noticed only one guy he messed up on n all others are females. But I did my homework n I'm semi intelligent n figure my chances r best with him. Been wrong before but I hope I'm correct on this one. I really need this as my back has really stifled my life. But we will see. I know this much if it doesn't fix me I'll go back to Germany n try again. The only thing that worry a me is accidents of getting the nerves hit with the extraction of the disc n also when they strength the spine out. Bertagnoli goes for the 11.7mm insert mostly it seems. I guess the bigger the gap the least chances of HO.

THE HANGMANS FRACTURE was on bertagnolis site n one govt paper! I'm guessing the m6 is more forgiven on placement. From what I have seen it looks like they r put in off center n most people don't experience any negativity for first few years. But I'm not educated n that's my best guess! It's a coin toss dude but you gotta admit Bertagnoli has good credentials. He is on all the fad trials. At the first ones where they got 92 per cents he was the lead surgeon who installed all the discs at the same clinic. That's what the paper said. But a latter paper said there was a chance of bias on the report. Good luck n as far as I'm concerned I pray everyone gets free from pain. Pain sucks !

[phillyjoe]

Good luck on your surgery. Don't self defeat, relax. Bucket those things you can control and those you can't. You need to be in the best shape you can for this battle, so get some sleep even if you need to take something

Don't know the basis of your fear of leaving the US, but Germany is quite nice in the fall and you can always find someone who speaks English. My company's HQ is in Germany and I don't speak much German. I personally think they control pain and other aspects of patient comfort better in Europe than here. So maybe they knock you out before they insert any IVs if you ask.

I viewed my surgery not in terms of what could go wrong, since that was a seemingly endless list, but more in terms of the hope that Dr Clavel offered me for a better life.

Given my own carelessness, I am still not 100%, but my hope continues, as does my gratitude to God, Clavel, and the members of this forum (to you too...Harrison!). GK, just shift your focus to positive and success.