Nuvasive Neodisc...

[KanRunMo]

Katie,
Have you ever figured up your doctor cost and hospital cost separately which include all of your surgeries done by Dr. Pimenta? If so, would you put it on this site. Maybe you have and I've missed it. I'm not concerned about the travel cost or hotel cost, since I can figure those out.
Thanks,

[tyler]

Tyler, I think this is great news for cervical patients.

I am truly blessed that my symptoms came at a time when new technology was making these discs available and that we were able to travel for it. With the NeoDisc now being close to approval, it opens up a whole new option for spine patients.

Just as an aside, Dr. Pimenta travels frequently to California and may be an option as a surgeon if you live near there. I believe he has been in on the ground floor of the development of this disc.

Thanks for the info Katie - I've already been in contact with Dr. Pimenta's assistant and hoping to hear back from them soon.

[Katie]

My hospital and surgeon's costs weren't broken down independently and I never needed that. The total bill for three levels and eight days of hospital stay, including my husband sharing the room with me was $35,000 US. I had three separate incisions, not just one for the two lumbar levels (plus the cervical level). Anesthesiology, medications, etc. were all included.

The cost never varied even though we were five days longer in the hospital than we first planned. The room was private with a regular hospital bed as well as a sofa that turned into a bed that I slept on because it was softer It also had an independent air conditioner, TV and a small fridge, as well as a large bathroom with shower.

The care we received was as good as it could get...everyone tried very hard to make us comfortable and happy. Some of the normal medical procedures were different than in Canada, but it was fine, just something to get used to. For example, the catheter for the bladder was taken out rather soon after surgery and my intake and output numbers were not recorded as I am used to, but it really didn't matter.

We checked in the day before for blood tests and to avoid worrying about traffic for an early surgery the next morning. It did take awhile to get checked in that day because of language differences. There were a few questions which were cleared up quickly with a phone call to Dr. Pimenta's office. If you go, be sure to get his or his assistant Rafael's cell number so that you can reach them at any time, just in case.

The post-op x-rays were taken at a separate private clinic about half an hour's cab ride from the hospital and were about $250, not covered in the first bill. Most cab rides were about $7 to $10, very reasonable, but be sure to be on the same side of the street as the direction you want to go in, as one way streets can quickly add to the fare We were very leary in the beginning about being taken advantage of because of our obvious 'tourist' look, but really worried for nothing.

The biggest cost that we didn't budget for was the taxi from the airport to our hotel close to the doctor's office. It was about $80. When we checked around before traveling, the price that was quoted was more like $20, so it was a bit of shock. The person had mistakenly given us the price from a smaller airport closer to the city.

I actually remember the good times we enjoyed there post-op more than any discomfort from surgery. We were lucky to have a couple join us just a day or two after surgery, friends from high school who just wanted to have a look at the country and support me as well. It certainly made the time go faster. As we had to stay for a bit to get a good post-op checkup, we decided to travel a bit to a couple of resorts w. beautiful beaches and get the most out of our trip there

Please say hi to them for me...I was the first Canadian to go there so they will remember me.

[herniated C6-7]

Does anyone have a sense of the pros and cons of the Nuvasive Neodisc vx. the Spinal Kinetics M6-Cervical?

Both seem to allow natural movement of the neck. The Neodisc contains no metal, an advantage if metal allergy is a risk.

The Nuvasive web site also says that the Neodisc can be placed in a manner very much akin to the procedural in surgical fusion, an advantage since surgeons are already so familiar with fusion.

I read that ADR normally demands more skill from the surgeon than fusion, since the replacement disc must normally be placed with precisoin so that it works properly with patient anatomy.

If my reading of the pros and cons is correct, the Neodisc would seem to reduce the potential for surgeon error because it is easier to place.

I would welcome other comparative comments.

[Katie]

Because of my severe allergies, I had to go with the NeoDisc. The M6 had titanium alloy along the edge of the end plate, I believe. I'd have to go back and have another look to see the exact design.

Dr. Pimenta made the insertion of the NeoDisc sound like a piece of cake. It certainly looks simple. There was no 'getting used to it' post-op....it feels like a natural part of my body. If it weren't for the stiff muscles in my neck and sore throat from general surgery and manipulation during the operation, I would barely have noticed that there was work done at that level.

I had a fair number of neurological problems before surgery and this disc seems to have solved them all. I'm glad to not have the keels now, in case there is any reason for revision, although I can't imagine what that would be.

I haven't spoken to any other patients of this device, so can't compare notes, but I'm sure happy with it.

I'll answer the PMs I've received tomorrow, promise

[jss]

As of late July the M6 had an implantation base of over 6500 devices implanted over a period of six years; so its behavior over time and in many different situations is well known. I don't know if the same is true of the NeoDisc.

The NeoDisc is comprised of fewer parts than the M6, which implies that the NeoDisc would have greater reliability and longevity.

[Carolina Girl]

I had the neodisc done in the US under the trail. I am two years post op. Doc says disc looks good, but I am still in pain again, He did new Mri and another disk below is going now. So I am worst than before. I am not sure if I am happy with the disc....feels like my neck can't hold the weight of my head. Thinking about seeing another dr....but I am still in the trail and I am not sure how they feel about that or not. I am new to all this and don't even know how I injured my neck in the first place. The pain I have now is more in the neck than before, down my shoulder blades and down my left arm. Arm goes numb sometimes and more headaches than before.

[KBear]

Carolina- Have you had further testing to determine if the pain is indeed from the other disc? I would definitely have a discogram, get facet injections (to rule out facet pain), try conservative treatments on the other disc and get other opinions. I'm also in a clinical trial and asked about the chance of a revision being needed. My surgeon said he would do a revision if it was ever needed (wanted to make sure I wouldn't be ditched if it came to that.) I also noticed in the 'contract' literature that it says the disc is the property of the manufacturer and if removed, will need to be returned to them, so I'm assuming they would help in getting it done? You can also drop out of the trial at no consequence to you, however this takes important data away from the study. If you are indeed a Neo Disc failure, then I would make sure that you stayed in as long as possible, so your data has to be recorded as such. Otherwise it will just show that you dropped out and all data will be lost (at least that's how I was explained it). Anyhow, I hope you aren't a failed surgery and it's something that is easily fixed. Just curious, did you ever wean off medication after surgery? Did you get any relief from surgery? Pain before and after? Good Luck!

[tyler]

I had the neodisc done in the US under the trail. I am two years post op. Doc says disc looks good, but I am still in pain again, He did new Mri and another disk below is going now. So I am worst than before. I am not sure if I am happy with the disc....feels like my neck can't hold the weight of my head. Thinking about seeing another dr....but I am still in the trail and I am not sure how they feel about that or not. I am new to all this and don't even know how I injured my neck in the first place. The pain I have now is more in the neck than before, down my shoulder blades and down my left arm. Arm goes numb sometimes and more headaches than before.

Hi Carolina Girl -

I spent a while considering NeoDisc and others. I understand that there are a number of situations like Katie's in which metal allergies could be a probem, which might make NeoDisc one of the few viable options although there are still screws - but fortunately I didn't have that issue.

While NeoDisc seems simpler and easier to implant, one thing I always wondered about is that the sleeve seems designed to promote tissue in-growth (unlike virtually every other ADR). This would seem most likely to be soft tissue, at least initially, and that's what it looks like in some product info from the UK company that developed it (it was later acquired by Nuvasive). I wondered what mechanical support this tissue provides during stresses, and whether it would eventually ossify - but I never did get much of a clear answer. Were these issues addressed at all in connection with the clinical trial?

It seems like your situation has gotten worse, but is the issue affecting regions that were impacted before or a different region from the adjacent disc? In any case, I would certainly be bringing it up with the doc who did the implant but wouldn't hesitate to seek an opinion from another expert. No matter how the folks running the trial might feel, it's your health at stake. Also, have you had arm and hand strengths tested or noticed any weakness in the affected arm? If you do, it can be an even more important issue than pain because loss of motor strength in the arm tends to be much less reversible once it sets in for an extended period.

Just my 2 cents - and wishing you the best as you work through this!
Tyler

Some pix of NeoDisc can be found at the following site; see the picture on the lower left of the right-hand panel referencing ovine (i.e. sheep) studies and showing "biointegration of the textile jacket by fibrous tissue ingrowth"
Spinal Surgery

[Carolina Girl]

They have not told me a lot about the disc or how others are doing. Last appt he said that no one else was coming in the trial and they would start to give us more data. The pain I have is the same pain in same areas, do have one new pain which is the base of my neck at the head area. I have spoke with two other people who have had the disc, one on med help and she was going to have the disc removed due to failure and she has lots of new problems now. He put me in pt for a while, that did not help at all and nuvasive did pay for my pt. Now I am trying massage therapy on my own, today is my second appt for that. Nothing seems to help the pain. As for pain meds, I do not like to take them. Most pain meds makes me sick or I break out from them. Muscle relaxers seem to help the most at night. I wake up in the mornings so stiff and sometimes I can not turn my neck. I did have some weakness in my left arm and left hand before surgery and he said it was from the nerve. He also said, that it take time for the nerve to know it is not being pinched anymore, well over 2 years and it is still doing it. I am numb under my chin, and was not like this until after surgery, he said most woman do not notice this and it should come back, but no still numb. I could go on and on about all this stuff. Just trying to do some research myself to learn more about the disc itself, but like I said very little information anywhere.