HealthFirst-Testing new treatment for back and leg pain

UNDATED -- (03/26/08)-- Around 65 million Americans live each day with chronic back or leg pain.

HealthFirst reporter Leslie Toldo explains many of those people opt to have surgery to fuse their spine and relieve the pain. But in the process, they lose their ability to move properly.

There is a new option now being tested that may relieve pain and preserve a patient's movement. 

Most people don't enjoy spring cleaning, but Barbara Mulvihill does. "I'm tickled to death I can clean them. Look what I can do now."

For seven months, she lived with severe pain in her back and shooting down her leg.  "People would look at me and say, 'Barb, you can just see the pain in your face,' and I'd say, 'well, I hurt!'"

She suffered from spinal stenosis, a common arthritic condition in the spine.

Dr. Antonio Castellvi says, typically, he would do a fusion surgery -- putting two rods in her back. But there's a new option called the TFAS (Total Facet Arthroplasty System) device.  "It reproduces normal to near normal motion as compared to some of the other devices we are seeing out there."

"We are able to stabilize the spine, eliminate the pain that comes from the facet joints, and still allow motion."

Castellvi has performed 15 TFAS surgeries.  Only 150 have been done worldwide. Results have been excellent.  "We know how it works. We know why it works. What we don't know with certainty is will it be functioning and doing very well ten years from now or 15 years from now," Castellvi said

Mulvihill says the implant allowed her to get back to life without pain.   "I was just so glad. I thought, 'woo -- look at this. I can move. I can walk. It doesn't hurt me.'" 

The TFAS device is still in clinical trial and is not FDA approved. The study will compare the results of patients who get the TFAS to those that have the standard fusion surgery. 

More information:

Will Darnall
University Community Hospital
wdarnall@mail.uch.org
(813) 615-7395

Patrick O'Connor
Sr. Marketing Manager
Archus Orthopedics Inc.
(425) 284-3683

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