From WSJ July 22:
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Jeffrey Saal, clinical professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Stanford University School of Medicine, said that though the combined use of pedicle screws and bone grafts is 90% effective in promoting fusion, it has been only 50% to 67% effective in eliminating back pain.
Alexander Vaccaro, a spine surgeon at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, said that spinal fusion ''should be done a lot less frequently that it's being done right now,'' adding that ''if you can't guarantee an 85%-plus success rate, you shouldn't offer that treatment.''
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Scott:
Is this a debilitating type of pain they are talking about, or the kind of thing you take Tylenol, Ibuprofin, Aspirin for?
The reason I ask is that a new type of pain relievers called COX-2 inhibitors is going to hit the market Late 97 or early 98. My company Merck should be first to market, Monsanto also coming along. These compounds select more accurately the cellular functions which cause pain and inflammation, and leave the stomach lining alone.
This will be a great medication for people on high amounts of pain-killers for chronic-pain. Great pain relief, greatly reduced stomach lining problems. I hope you don't need it, but it might make the back pain more bearable.
It's also why I'm 100% Merck in the profit sharing plan.
I'm thinking about Spine-Tech 23.5 today. Hmmm.
Bruce |
