Fusion Technologies
Cervical, thoracic and lumbar fusions can be done in many different ways. The traditional surgery was performed without placing hardware along the spine. Bone was packed into the joints of the spine and the individual was then placed in a brace.

However, approximately 15 years ago, with the advent of segmental hardware including pedicle screws and hooks, we are now able to obtain higher rates of fusion ot the lumbar spine and, more recently to the cervical spine with various plates and screws. We now can offer high and predictable rates of fusion to the cervical and lumbar spines. Anterior fusion technologies have also been availed to us for a number of years, including placing bone blocks in the disk spaces, as well as cage technologies, where a metal cage packed with bone is placed in the interspace where the disk had been. This also offers a higher rate of fusion, especially at multiply fused levels where one places an anterior cage or bony plugs and then supplements it with hardware fixation posteriorly. With newer strategies of spinal fusion, we have been able to fuse longer segments with amuch higher degree of success. Additionally, we have been able to distract the disks and offer a disk fusion in distraction which keeps lumbar lordosis and offers protection from deterioration of the disks that are above the lumbar fusion. This is also similar in the cervical spine. Fusions can be offered for instability of a disk, disk degeneration, facet disease, i.e., pain in the posterior spine, as well as scoliosis and segmental collapse of disks and vertbral end-plates.

Disc Replacement Technologies
This is a very new threshold for spinal surgery. After extensive review of the two year U.S. clinical trial results the FDA approved the CHARITÉ™ Artificial Disc, the first artificial disc for treatment of low back pain. This makes the CHARITÉ™ Artificial Disc the first and most clinically tested total disc replacement in the world. A breakthrough in non-fusion technology, it offers an innovative surgical option to physicians for treating some patients with degenerative disc disease and related conditions..

The CHARITÉ Artificial Disc is a three-piece medical device consisting of a sliding core sandwiched between two metal endplates.The sliding core is made from a medical grade plastic and the endplates are made from medical grade cobalt chromium
alloy.These materials usually do not harm the human body and are used in many other medical implants such as total knee replacement implants.

Dr. Harf has completed extensive training on the use of the CHARITÉ Artificial Disc. For more information about the CHARITÉ™ Artificial Disc, please download the following pdf file: CHARITÉ™ Patient Information Guide or visit the web site at www.charitedisc.com.