TRINITY MOTHER FRANCES NEUROSURGEON USING NEW DISC SYSTEM FOR PATIENTS WITH DEGENERATIVE DISEASES OF THE NECK

First FDA-Approved Artificial Disc For The Cervical Spine Now Available In Texas

TYLER, TX · October 18, 2007 / PRNewswire / – Sabatino Bianco, MD, Trinity Clinic Neurosurgeon and Director of the Trinity Mother Frances Neuroscience Institute is the first in the region to offer a new FDA approved cervical arthroplasty implant that can provide some patients a chance to maintain motion in their necks following surgery for cervical degenerative disc disease.

The new artificial disc, called the PRESTIGE® Cervical Disc, is the first artificial disc approved for the cervical spine by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The disc is inserted into the neck using a similar procedure to the technique surgeons use when performing a spinal fusion and is used in a procedure called cervical disc arthroplasty. The new procedure showed superior neurological and overall success outcomes in a recently concluded clinical trial that compared the clinical outcomes of cervical artificial disc replacement (PRESTIGE Cervical Disc) to anterior cervical discectomy and spinal fusion procedures.

"The Prestige Cervical Disc is an exciting new option for my patients," said Dr. Bianco. "This disc may revolutionize treatment options for surgical patients who normally would have only the option of a motion-restricting process of spinal fusion."

In the U.S. clinical trial of the PRESTIGE Cervical disc, patients who received the disc showed improved neurological success at 24 months and improved overall success. The clinical trial is the largest, completed, prospective randomized controlled study of its kind in the cervical spine enrolling a total of 541 patients.

Trinity Mother Frances Health System is comprised of Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler, Mother Frances Hospital-Jacksonville, Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital (affiliated with HealthSouth) and Trinity Clinic, a multi-specialty physician group. The Health System treats patients in many medical specialties, including neurosurgery and robotic-assisted heart procedures.

For more information on the PRESTIGE Cervical disc procedure available at the Trinity Mother Frances Neuroscience Institute, call (903) 525-7995 or visit www.tmfneuroscience.com.