| Re: degenerated disc grade 4???
the disc has several layers, and grade 4 means the disc has a tear (ie herniated) but not to the point where its insides are leaking out. the tear stops at the tough, outer part of the disc. grade 5 is the worst (meaning it is leaking), so its about as bad as it can get without being a full blown rupture.
grade 2 means the disc is degenerated, but only the inner 2/3 or so damaged. all damage is still inside the disc.
a disc replacement is when they take out the damaged disc and replace it with an artificial one, this is a relatively new procedure, its been going on for about 10 years in Europe and a few years in the USA.
search this forum (use the "search" tab near the top of the page) for "charite," "prodisc" and "adr" and youll find some posts with info about it.
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back surgery in JUN 06 - two level ALIF (L3-4-5) with cages and BMP - SUCCESSFUL!
Last edited by zeroman; 08-11-2006 at 01:38 PM.
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