Currently, there are two brands of total disc replacement available on in the U.S. market, approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration. The Charite and the Prodisc II. They are currently indicated for single level lumbar degenerative disc disease, where there is no extreme collapse of the involved disc, no instability of the segment, and no profound degeneration of the accompanying facet joints. In early 2005, Dr. Pratt traveled to Cincinnati and trained on the Charite total disc system as is required of all surgeons using the device.

It is the current opinion of Dr. Pratt that the spine surgery community is still going through a rather steep learning curve with these implants. Their indications, the best surgical techniques with which to implant them, and which patients are the best candidates remains unclear in the literature.

Although we are dedicated to providing the best state of the art procedures for our patients, we have held off offering this particular procedure at this time until better scientific data becomes available with which to make a responsible decision in regard to its indications and expected outcomes.