Arthroplasty surgery an Alternative to Fusions

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52-year old Sueann Krause has always lead a healthy happy life as a hobby farmer in the La Crosse area, but back in 2001, things began to change.

Krause says, "The pain predominately for me was in the right side of my shoulder and upper arm, then it would go down into the arm and I would have numbness and tingling in my fingers."

An MRI was performed and found a herniated disc in her neck. Krause could have gotten a fusion, but that would have likely been a temporary solution to an on-going problem, instead, she decided to take her chances on Dr. Drew Sullivan and arthroplasty surgery, a surgery that was just approved by the FDA seven months ago.

Dr. Drew Sullivan says, "If we put an arthroplasy device in, then the motion is retained, you maintain the normal psysiological function of the particular segment of the spine."

Arthroplasy focuses on repairing the problem by forming a joint, and retaining mobility in the neck and spine, whereas fusion surgeries simply correct the problem by restricting mobility.

Dr. Rudolf Bertagnoli is a German spine surgeon who has performed more than 2,000 arthroplasty surgeries. He now spend his time travelling around the world teaching the procedure to other doctors, and while the surgery is beneficial, it's not for everyone.

Dr. Bertagnoli says, "The ideal patient is a patient that has a single level problem in the neck that means one disc is disruppted, either compressing the cord ot exiting nerve roots, leading to a nerve compression, a disfunction to any area that is supported by this specific nerve root."

Less than one month after her surgery, Krause says even though the surgery was relatively new to the United States, it's one of the best decisions she's made, and has left her pain-free.

Krause says, "I remember the first week I was like a kid. I was so excited because I had no idea how bad it really was until it was gone."

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