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An interview with
Hoang Le, MD, Neurosurgeon
Rebound Neurosurgical Specialists
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Disorders of the cervical spine are a real pain in the neck, literally. It’s like losing the shocks on your car when you lose the cushion of a cervical disc between the bones in your neck. This degenerative process can happen as a natural process of aging or injury, and the pain is often debilitating.
PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center was among 20 sites in the United States participating in a study to test the safety and effectiveness of a new surgical tool to relieve pain in the cervical spine.
Will this option be better than fusion?
The SECURE-C Cervical Artificial Disc was created as an alternative to spinal fusion, the current treatment of choice among today’s neurosurgeons. Spinal fusion permanently connects two or more bones. It is effective, but is can also limit neck mobility and increase the degenerative rate of discs adjacent to the fusion. In fact, one in four patients may require another surgery for the disc adjacent to the fusion within 10 years. In contrast, the SECURE-C is a device that appears to preserve mobility and function, in essence, like a normal disc. Using the SECURE-C would allow the preservation of motion and, in theory, would minimize the risk of adjacent segment degeneration.
The SECURE-C clinical trial was a multi-center randomized study which involved around 300 subjects meeting all criteria for the surgery. The national experience with the SECURE-C device has been very promising.
Dr. Le is a neurosurgeon with Rebound Neurosurgical Specialists. His office is located in the Physicians Pavilion. He can be reached at 360.254.6161.
Published September 2007.
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