ADR Seeker, I'm not sure I understand how you can deride the industry so severely and then take their word for it that something has been proven superior. There have been many technologies that were 'proven superior' and implemented widely, only to be halted or recalled later.
The marketing spin about devices is very interesting. This reminds me of the original Charite' versus Prodisc spin wars. One of the advantages constantly pointed to, of the keeled design was that it arrested rotation of the plates. (This is different from rotation you are referring to in the M6 discussion.) It is intuitively obvious that the plates cannot rotate with the keel encased in bone. However, if the Charite' plates don't rotate, then arresting rotation of the Prodisc plates is a non-issue.
IMHO, the jury is still out on the facet issue. I have seen both Charite' and Prodisc patients with poor facets going into the surgery, have good long-term outcomes. I have seen both Charite' and Prodisc patients with good facets going into the surgery, have facet problems later. This issue is so much more complicated than most of us can imagine. I have seen studies that show Charite' to be superior related to facet loading and I have seen studies that show Prodisc to be superior.
The Bryan disc is a non-starter for virtually all of the spine surgeons I know. You know what? Medtronic presents data that clearly shows the bryan disc to be superior. That device is clearly inferior. That's why Medtronic bought the Bristol disc and renamed it to Prestige. They knew that the Bryan disc would not be successful. Yet the data shows it to be superior.
How is it that you are absolutely certain that these devices are so wonderful when you are so very skeptical about so many other issues in this field?
Hooch, regarding M6 failures. Many of the failures I have seen are technical failures of the surgeon. Most of them from Stenum. they have the same types of failures with the M6 as they did with the prestige and other devices. You can't do a 5 hour surgery in 70 minutes and expect success. You can't take a neck with severe cord compression due to osteophytes and severe DDD at many levels; do a 3-level ADR without addressing the osteophytes. ADR surgery is more than opening, putting the disc in and closing. There is very tedious work that needs to be done. ADR surgery without performing the NECESSARY decompression is not a high success rate operation.
Gotta run... thanks all for the good discussion!
Mark
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