1.What is artificial disc replacement? Simply put, it is the replacement of a diseased disc with an artificially manufactured device (medically called a prosthesis) that resembles the structure and function of a normal disc and is surgically inserted into the original part of the disc to replace the function of the diseased disc. This is like replacing a diseased joint with an artificial joint. 2.What are the advantages of artificial disc replacement? Disc disease (including disc degeneration and disc herniation) is a common cause of back and leg pain. In cases where regular conservative treatment (including bed rest, medication, traction, physical therapy, etc.) is ineffective, destructive surgery such as nucleus pulposus removal or chemical lysis is generally performed. Since intervertebral disc lesions are often combined with varying degrees of lumbar segmental instability, destructive surgery further aggravates this instability, and symptoms such as low back pain may reappear after surgery, so some patients require fusion of the diseased segments at the same time as surgery or in a second-stage operation. However, fusion surgery sacrifices intervertebral motion and increases the compensatory motion of adjacent segments, resulting in accelerated degeneration of their adjacent discs and small joints. Artificial disc replacement not only restores segmental stability of the spine, but also maintains the mobility of the spinal segments, restores the normal function of the operated segments, and avoids excessive increase in stress on the adjacent discs. 3.What patients is artificial disc replacement suitable for? Theoretically, artificial disc replacement is feasible for all cases of low back pain caused by potentially segmentally unstable disc lesions that have failed to respond to regular conservative treatment. Considering the cost of surgery and surgical trauma, the indications for this surgery are still relatively strict, and are generally under 60 years of age for men and 50 years of age for women, with no bony spinal stenosis, severe disc herniation, intervertebral space stenosis, discogenic low back pain with potential lumbar segmental instability, and low back pain caused by post-discectomy instability, which have failed to respond to conservative treatment. Artificial disc replacement can be considered. Of course, there is a strict and perfect examination and evaluation before surgery. 4.What is the efficacy of artificial disc replacement? Research on artificial disc replacement has been conducted for 40 years. The SB Charité prosthesis, developed in Germany in 1984, is the most widely used in clinical practice. This prosthesis has been improved twice and has been used for more than 2000 cases in many countries in Europe, etc. It was introduced into China in 1998, and our hospital has done nearly 100 cases since 1999, and the number of cases and efficacy are at the leading level in China, with an excellent rate of more than 80%, which is better than fusion surgery.