Cervical artificial disc topic of radio interview today with Dr. Dixon

Dr. Dixon, CINN neurosurgeon, will be featured in a radio interview today with Lakeshore Public Radio discussing the cervical artificial disc as a new treatment for stubborn neck pain.  In addition to providing an overview of the procedure and the symptoms the technology can remedy, Dr. Dixon will invite listeners to join him in a free community education event tomorrow night at Centennial Park in Munster, IN from 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Wife of CINN Patient Thanks Dr. Mkrdichian and Staff

I saw the article on Dr.Mkrdichian in the Sun-Times and it got me to thinking about our story with Dr. Mkrdichian and CINN and I thought this may be a good time for me to share it. My husband (Bill) was diagnosis by CINN back in 1992 with a disease called Von-Hipple Lindau which caused my husband to have over 25 surgeries in the years following, he had brain surgeries, 4 Gamma Knifes, lost both kidneyâ s, did dialysis, had a kidney transplant, eye surgeries and endured a month long coma. In 1992 Dr.Mkrdichian performed the first of 11 brain surgeries on Bill and from that moment on we were bonded with Dr.M and the stuff at CINN for over 16 years, and they saw and helped us through a lot during those 16 years. My husband had to have MRIs s every six months along with a doctor’ s appointment to see Dr. Mkrdichian and sometimes he delivered us good news and sometimes bad, but Bill and I always felt safe knowing it would be Dr.Mkrdichian doing the surgery.  Sometimes I think Dr. Mkrdichian was more worried than we were, that’s how safe he made Bill and I feel. I still can remember the big smile on Dr. Mkrdichian’s face as he’d walk down the hallway after each surgery he performed to tell me that Bill was fine and that Bill was something special. Then there’s the nurses who some of them we’ve known since 1992, and saw Bill and I through a lot including that month long coma, those nurses are very special people of which I will always be thankful of , and in some weird way they were like our second family. I can not thank them enough for all the things they did we for us over those 16 years, you always took such good care of Bill that I never had worry. Bill and I entrusted Bill’s life to Dr.Mkrdichian and that great stuff at CINN many, many times, and they never let us down, so all I can say is thank you and know how special you all were in our lives.
I lost my best friend, my beloved husband (Bill) April 9th, 2008, and the world lost something very special that day.
Thanks Dr. Mkrdichian and Bill really liked you a lot.Lynn

National Insurance Carriers Now Cover Artificial Cervical Disc Surgery

For more than a decade, Virginia Sabine endured. But the vibrant 40-year-old wanted more than unbearable neck pain and addictive medication. She wanted her life back.

In 1996, Virginia had two discs fused. Now a third disc was acting up, and she went hunting for answers. She found them in Geoff Dixon, M.D. an experienced neurosurgeon with the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch (CINN). He recommended an artificial disc for the cervical (neck) region that was unanimously approved by the Food and Drug Administration in July 2007. Neurosurgeons at CINN are among the most well-trained surgeons in the country in performing cervical artificial disc surgery and frequently are asked to teach other spine surgeons in the technique.

“The decision to go with artificial disc replacement was easy,” Virginia says. “Not only was the procedure covered by insurance, but the benefits far outweighed spinal fusion.”

She says that the difference between the artificial disc operation and the fusion was night and day. “In 1996 I was in the hospital for five days and in a neck brace for two months. This time I was out of the hospital and walking immediately and the pain was completely gone within four days.”

U.S. health insurers, too, see the same benefits in artificial cervical disc surgery that Virginia did. As a result, today they are extending coverage to a broad base of customers.

Now 200,000 Americans with spinal disorders have potential access through insurers such as Aetna, various BlueCross BlueShield plans and Broadspire to artificial disc surgery instead of the conventional cervical spinal fusion surgery. Other insurance carriers may approve the innovative procedure on a case-by-case basis.

Currently, the most common surgical treatment for patients with degenerative discs in the cervical spine is spinal fusion. In this procedure, a surgeon removes the damaged disc then implants a bone graft and metal plate to fuse the vertebrae together. Challenges of spinal fusion include longer recovery time, pain management and the possibility of adjacent level surgery in the future.

During artificial disc replacement surgery, the damaged disc is removed and replaced with an artificial disc, a stainless-steel device with a ball-in-trough design intended to allow for replication of normal motion. The disc stays in place with bone screws. The hospital stay for this procedure is approximately one to two days. Patients can begin rehabilitation and return to daily activities soon after surgery. In fact, one study demonstrated that patients receiving the cervical disc returned to work in 45 days, 16 days earlier than the fusion patients.

“Studies show that artificial cervical disc patients have a higher rate of neurological success as measured by muscle tone, strength, sensation, as well as responsiveness of reflexes as compared to those who’ve had spinal fusion,” says Dr. Dixon. “Studies also demonstrate that at a two-year follow-up exam, the overall success rate for the artificial disc group is 79.3% compared to the fusion group at 67.8%. These reasons are compelling enough for potential candidates to consider the option of an artificial disc.”

The Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch is one of the nation’s leading organizations for the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of people with brain and spine disorders. Founded in 1987, CINN is one of the Midwest’s largest teams of neurosurgeons, physiatrists and neurologists known for their pioneering treatments in minimally invasive techniques. Through a network of seven hospitals throughout Chicagoland, CINN is a market leader in treating brain tumors and spine disorders.

For details on the cervical artificial disc, call: 1-800-446-1234 or visit www.cinn.org. The following insurance carriers have issued a positive coverage decision on the Prestige Cervical Artificial Disc:

Aetna-National
Avera Health – SD, IA, NE
BCBS Horizon – NJ
BCBS Illinois
BCBS Montana
BCBS New Mexico
BCBS Oklahoma
BCBS South Carolina
BCBS Texas
Broadspire
Brown and Toland IPA – CA
BSBS North Dakota
Builders Insurance Company – NV
Community Care of OK – OK
Cox Health-MO
Dean Health Plan-WI
Employers Insurance of Nevada – NV
Gunderson – Lutheran Health Plan – WI
Highmark BCBS – PA, WV
Lovelace Health Plan – NM
Medical Mutual - OH
Montana State Employee Fund-MT
Motion Picture Association-CA
ODS Health Plan
Pacific Source-OR
Physicians Plus – WI
Premera WA, AK (also administrators for LifeWise AZ, OR)
Priority Health of Western MI – MI
Public Employees Benefit Program – NV
Public Employees Health Plan of Utah – UT
SelectHealth – UT
Willis-Knighton Health Plus – LA
Writer’s Guild-CA