Florida Hospital System (see more articles like this)

WHAT: Forty-two year old Linda Becker has been living with severe back pain since taking a fall more than a year ago. Concerned about keeping her flexibility and returning to her active life, the Eustis resident resisted spinal fusion surgery, a common treatment for chronic low back pain caused by degenerative disc disease.   Instead Becker opted for a revolutionary new procedure – artificial disc replacement. Florida Hospital Neurosurgeon Paul Sawin, MD, assisted by a Florida Hospital cardiothoracic surgeon, removed the damaged disc and replaced it with the new CHARITE Artificial Disc, a high-tech device made of two metallic endplates and a movable high-density plastic center. This option will provide Becker with more flexibility than the traditional spinal fusion, which joins vertebrae together using bone grafts so that motion no longer occurs between them. 

BACKGROUND: While artificial replacements are commonly used in hips and knees, the CHARITE Artificial Disc is the first artificial disc approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  During the operation, a surgeon approaches the spine through an incision in the abdomen and carefully moves blood vessels and internal organs out of the way to provide access to the spine.  A neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon then uses special tools to remove the damaged disc and creates a space between two vertebrae for the implantation of the artificial disc.  The procedure generally takes about two hours.  Florida Hospital Orlando and Florida Hospital Celebration Health are among the first hospitals in Central Florida to offer the procedure. 

PLEASE NOTE: Video and interviews available upon request including:
 Interview with patient Linda Becker
 Interview with Becker’s surgeon, Florida Hospital Neuroscience Institute Neurosurgeon Paul Sawin, MD
 Interview with Florida Hospital Orthopaedic Surgeon Faissal Zahrawi, MD, FACS, Medical Director of The Spine Center at Florida Hospital Celebration Health
 Video of procedure

CONTACT:  For more information, to schedule an interview, or receive a tape, contact Florida Hospital Media Relations at 407/303-8217.