Release of Journal of Neurosurgery 10-Year Study by Dr. Todd Lanman Shows Statistical Superiority of Two-Level Cervical Disc Replacement with Prestige LP Device


In a new study, authored by Dr. Todd H. Lanman and Matthew F. Gornet, MD, and published in the prominent peer-reviewed medical journal Journal of Neurosurgery, two-level cervical disc replacement with the Prestige LP continues to maintain statistical superiority a decade following surgery.

The 10-year paper follows the previously published 7-year outcome, which found statistical superiority compared to that of fusion, in treating degenerative disc disease in two adjacent disc levels, and the initial 24-month study documenting ‘favorable outcomes’ at the two-year post-op mark.

The most compelling data from the 10-year follow-up is that the discs next to the fusion required surgery twice as often as discs adjacent to the artificial discs.

This is the second time that this groundbreaking procedure, led by Dr. Lanman as principal investigator of the initial clinical trial, has been found to be a statistically superior option for patients suffering from cervical degenerative disc disease in more than one level in their neck.

In addition to Lanman and Gornet, as lead writer, the paper was also authored by J. Kenneth Burkus, MD, Randall G. Dryer, MD, Jeffrey R. McConnell, MD, Scott D. Hodges, DO, and F.W. Schranck.

The authors all assessed the 10-year clinical safety and effectiveness of cervical disc arthroplasty to treat degenerative disease in the cervical spine at two adjacent levels compared to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).

The clinical trial was conducted comparing the low-profile titanium ceramic composite-based Prestige LP artificial disc replacement device at two adjacent levels of the cervical spine with ACDF. From the 24-month to the 10-year mark, replacement at two adjacent levels with implantation of the Prestige LP demonstrated statistical superiority over ACDF for overall success with rates of 80.4% to that of 62.2% at 10 years.

The study also found statistical superiority when comparing results of the Neck Disability Index (88.4% versus 76.5%), neurological success (92.6% versus 86.1%) and neck pain scores.

Through this prospective, randomized, controlled, multicenter FDA-approved study, the Prestige LP, implanted at two adjacent cervical disc levels, was found to maintain ‘improved clinical outcomes and segmental motion 10 years after surgery and is a safe and effective alternative to fusion,’ as the paper concludes.

This procedure now gives patients suffering from multilevel degenerative disc disease in their cervical spines an alternative to statistically inferior ACDF, or fusion surgery, which often places additional stress on adjacent discs, leading to pain and additional surgical procedures, as well as much longer recovery time. Artificial disc replacement in the cervical spine in one or two levels is approved by most insurance plans.

In 2017, Dr. Lanman showcased the first two-level procedure using a Prestige LP artificial cervical disc device on national television, performing the surgery on a patient on CBS’ ‘The Doctors.’

Dr. Lanman has been referred to as one of the nation’s leading innovators in artificial disc replacement, presiding over the majority of major advancements in spine care over the last 25 years. He’s the first spinal neurosurgeon in the U.S. to pioneer what he refers to as Restorative Motion Surgery, a breakthrough procedure that returns patients who had undergone fusion to near or full mobility and motion, by removing those fusions and instead replacing them with artificial disc devices in one or more levels.

In 2018, he was named the ‘Leader in Health Care’ by the Los Angeles Business Journal, earning an award for this honor, and has been dubbed one of the top doctors in this field in The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter and Hemispheres Magazine.

Major celebrities from the worlds of television, film and Broadway, as well as business tycoons and sports players constitute a significant portion of his patients, as well as those coming from overseas for his unparalleled care.

He has remained a clinical professor at UCLA for the last 20 years, has published a wealth of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters relating to spine medicine, and serves as a frequent medical educator and expert contributor in the media.

The new 10-year study paper can be found here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31226684.

For more information on Dr. Todd H. Lanman and his Beverly Hills-based practice Lanman Spinal Neurosurgery, visit http://www.spine.md.

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