Biomedical subjects

Q B Bao

Publications and source records attributed to Q B Bao.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Nuclear replacement strategies.

Although still a technology in its infancy, nuclear replacement promises a potential alternative to arthrodesis for patients with discogenic back pain. It is ideally suited to those patients presenting early in the degenerative cascade with minimal to no arthritic changes or disc collapse. The physical nature of the implants seeks to restore the visco-elastic, biomechanical, and fluid characteristics of the natural disc, thus reducing pain while maintaining motion and function.

Arthroplasty, Replacement↗

PubMed2000

Artificial disc technology.

After approximately 40 years of research and development, artificial disc technology may finally be coming of age. A number of devices are either at the late stage of preclinical study or in the early stage of clinical trial, and the results are promising so far. Due to the multicomponent structure of the disc, surgeons performing disc arthroplasty have the option of replacing either the entire disc or a portion of it. The decision will be largely dependent on the pathological entity addressed, the condition of the patient's spinal disc and surrounding tissues, and the cost and potential risk of the procedure. Driven by demand, almost all the emphasis in artificial disc development has been placed on the lumbar disc, with a smaller effort directed toward the cervical disc. No attempt has been made to develop an artificial thoracic disc. However, by examining the differences and similarities in structure, anatomy, function, mechanism of degeneration, pathology, surgical technique, and complications between the lumbar and thoracic disc, the authors believe it is feasible to apply artificial disc technology in the treatment of thoracic disc disease. Nonetheless, due to the rarity of thoracic disc disease and the more stable structure of this spinal component, the demand for artificial disc or artificial nucleus technology for the thoracic disc probably will be smaller than that for lumbar disc technology.

Biocompatible Materials↗

PubMed1996

The artificial disc: theory, design and materials.

Low back pain is one of the most common medical conditions in the Western world. Disc degeneration, an inevitable process of aging, of variable rate and degree, is one of the major causes of low back pain. Currently, there are two major surgical interventions for treating conditions related to the degenerative disc: discectomy and fusion. Although discectomy and fusion produce a relatively good short-term clinical result in relieving pain, both these surgical treatments alter the biomechanics of the spine, possibly leading to further degeneration of the surrounding tissues and the discs at adjacent levels. Over the past 35 years, a tremendous effort has been made to develop an artificial disc to replace the degenerated disc. The goal is the restoration of the natural biomechanics of the segment after disc excision, thus relieving pain and preventing further degeneration at adjacent segments. However, the artificial disc faces a complex biomechanical environment which makes replication of the biomechanics difficult and long-term survival challenging to designs and materials. The purpose of this article is to examine the factors of importance in designing a disc replacement. Topics covered include the structure and function of the natural disc, the changes that occur with disc degeneration and existing methods of treatment for the degenerative spine. The progress in achieving a functional, long-lasting disc replacement is outlined.

Humans↗