Posted On: November 11, 2006
Use of implanted hardware for low back surgery is questioned
Medical malpractice taking place during spine surgery can have devastating consequences for the patient. Denise Gellene of the LA Times reports that a recent study in the journal Spine questions the use of hardware in lower back surgeries:
The use of implanted hardware in spinal fusion surgeries for lower back pain does not improve the results and carries a higher risk of complications, researchers reported today. The study published in the journal Spine was the latest to cast doubt on the increasingly common use of spinal screws and cages during surgeries in which vertebrae are fused to relieve pain. The findings "should add to our level of skepticism about benefits of the hardware and the procedure itself," said Dr. Richard A. Deyo, a professor of medicine at the University of Washington who was not involved in the study. Deyo has researched back pain treatments and his lab is partly supported with funds from a device maker."Denise Gellene, LA Times, 11/1/06
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-spine1nov01,1,7218374.
story?coll=la-headlines-health
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