Back-mending innovation

Local doctor among first to use new synthetic spine disc

SM/ALL/VIEW--Howard Basch one of the first people in Nevada to have a synthetic disk inserted into his back shows how it is now easier for him to perform every day tasks around the home. Trimming a tree would have been very difficult for him to do before his surgery. Saturday, February 5,2005--View photo by shelly donahue SM/ALL/VIEW--Dr.John Thalgott a Orthopedic surgeon shows a model of a spine at his surgery. Dr. Thalgott is one of the first doctor's to use a new spine disk which will help people with back problems to maintain motion. Thursday, February 3,2005--View photo by shelly donahue

Reaching into a cupboard. Bending over to pick up the newspaper. These were things which used to cause Howard Basch immediate back pain.

Not any more. Now the 48-year-old electrical construction inspector can do those things as often as he likes with nary a twinge.

Basch was one of the first Nevadans to have inserted into his lower spine a new surgical implant called the Charit Artificial Disc.

Charit , pronounced Share-it-tay, is a metal and synthetic disc which replaces a degraded disc. It is made by DePuy Spine, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company.

Where it used to be fusing the spine was about the only option, the new disc is making a world of difference for patients with lower back issues.

Basch has degenerative disc disorder and has suffered through back problems since high school. A disc in his lumbar area completely disintegrated.

He tried epidural injections but had limited success before the pain returned. At times it was excruciating.

"The worst was getting up out of a chair," he said. "I would actually cringe a little bit every time I straightened up to walk down the hall. When I (heard about Charit ), my wife and I, we were both kind of scared, being it was brand new. But then, any kind of surgery is scary."

Basch said he was reassured to learn the procedure was successfully used in Europe for years.

Basch's surgery was performed at Valley Hospital by Dr. John Thalgott of the Center for Diseases and Surgery of the Spine, 600 S. Rancho Road, Suite 107. Just a couple weeks earlier, Thalgott made history by being the very first doctor in Nevada to perform the surgery. That first surgery also took place at Valley Hospital and was done with surgeons Earl Cottrel and Jason Garber. The patient was discharged two days later.

"It is a giant leap forward in lumbar disc disease," Thalgott said. "This has the potential to revolutionize spine surgery."

He said there are other discs currently in clinical trials or on the market but this one seemed to be the best.

Thalgott is internationally recognized for his expertise in spinal work. He is clinical director of the International Spinal Development & Research Foundation, based in Las Vegas.

The nonprofit foundation's current research encompasses implants and instrumentation, the use of sea coral as a bone replacement, and a new, gasless laparoscopic approach to the spine, as well as a wide variety of minimally-invasive approaches to spinal surgery. He was on the team which designed the approach instruments as well as the ones used for placement in the Charit surgery.

Thalgott, who grew up in Las Vegas and has been practicing here since 1986, said the trickiest part of his portion of the surgery was placing the disc, as mere centimeters determine the success of the procedure.

"There's a sense of responsibility with doing it, like anything else," he said. "When you're doing new (procedures), there's somewhat of a risk involved but science has to move forward."

The Charit disc reportedly has a faster recovery time, is less invasive than fusion and preserves motion of the back.

While the disc can be an option for many patients, fusion of the spine is still being used. Fusion does, however, have drawbacks.

"The problem with fusion is, in some patients it relieved only 70 percent of the patient's pain," Thalgott said. "Also, the disc above (the surgery site) wears out quicker."

The FDA approved the disc in October 2004 after clinical studies using almost 300 patients were presented.

Basch now sports a 5-inch vertical scar on his stomach and reports he can do everyday things without any back pain.

"I'm thrilled to death with the surgery," he said. "I'd recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat."

Thalgott said he expects the surgery to become a fairly regular procedure within two years.