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 HPI 86171 HPI86171 Metal Spacer Set 5x75x3mm Savage X SS  US $2.89
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Cervical Artificial Disc Replacement Basics
Cervical artificial disc replacement has come about after lumbar artificial discs were FDA approved back in 2004. The neck implants were FDA approved around 2008. Preserving motion is the goal, since fusions of the spine weld bones together and shift the stresses that previously were absorbed at levels above and below. This may result in adjacent level disease after the surgery. The neck implant is designed to replace a damaged or diseases intervertebral disc in the neck. This may be seen with degenerative disk issues, a herniated neck disk, or potentially a post trauma problem.
The discal disease then creates a situation that can result in pinched nerves. Nerves may be pinched directly from disc material that has extruded into an area where it's not supposed to be. Or with a degenerative disc disease height in the disc space is lost to such an extent that nerves are compressed indirectly as they try to exit from the spine.
The neck artificial disc surgery is done with a surgical approach through the front area (just off to the side) of the neck. There is no splitting of neck muscles, but separation of them instead, allowing for very tolerable post-op pain in the majority of cases.
Once the spinal area is encountered, a retractor is placed to shift the vessels, muscles, and esophagus to the sides and the whole diseased disc is taken out. As soon as the whole disc is removed, the vertebrae are left alone except for some slight remodeling performed so the implant will be accepted.
Instruments are used to size for the cervical disc replacement, and then the metallic implant with a plastic spacer is implanted. There are a few different kinds of neck disc replacements, with some being "press-fit" while others actually have a screw above and below into the bone to keep it more stable. A real time x-ray machine, called fluouroscopy, is used to make sure the implant is centered properly. This is key, as it is important to have the implanted centered to try as best as possible to recreate physiologic range of motion.
Patients usually leave the hospital within 24 hours and the pain relief and complication profiles have shown similarity to regular neck fusions.
Cervical disc replacements have shown equivalency so far to cervical fusions. Neck fusions done from the front have a very high success rate with over 90% being satisified. Neck disk replacements cost a lot more than fusion, so it will be necessary to obtain longer term studies to see if the increased cost is justified with better clinical outcomes.Surgery should only be performed after non-operative treatments fail, such as physical therapy, phoenix pain doctors injections, or scottsdale chiropractors treatment.
To treat asthma, is it better a plastic spacer or metal one?
My child takes Pulmicort inhaler daily with a spacer made of metal, but the GP said they are not longer available and replaced it with a plastic one. Can I continue using the metal spacer or is better to replace it for the plastic one? which of the two is better?
It doesn't really matter. If you think one is cleaner, go with the cleaner one.
There has even been a study of a commercially available spacer versus a spacer made out of a 20 oz Soft Drink Bottle with a hole cut-out at the bottom. The result of that study was no difference in peak flow change between the store-bought versus the improvised Soft Drink Bottle Spacer. I'd like to cite the study, but I think it's been more than 10 years.
The only advantage the store-bought spacer had is it had a little harmonica which would make noise if you sucked in too fast. When you inhale too quickly, the medication cannot change direction fast enough and slams to the back of your throat. This in-turn reduces the amount of medication that actually makes it to the blood-stream. So please, exhale fully... then take a SLOW deep breath.
With MDI's, technique is everything.
Wikipedia has good "general" information listed under "Metered Dose Inhaler" and "Asthma Spacer". If not, try a Google Search.
Making Humbucker Metal Spacers (keeper bars)
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