Results of lumbar disk prosthesis after a follow-up period of 48 months

Damage to the intervertebral disk is usually corrected by means of a prosthesis. To report the outcome of the artificial lumbar disk replacement with the Charité SB III disk prosthesis in 20 patients after a 48 month follow-up. The 20 patients were evaluated clinically and radiographically during this period. Preoperative diagnosis included degenerative diskopathy in 17 patients and failed posterior conventional diskectomy in 3. The prosthesis was implanted at one level in 17 patients and bi-level implantation was performed in the other 3 patients. Eighty percent of patients reported satisfactory to very good results. Poor results were reported by four patients, one of whom underwent posterolateral fusion and another is waiting for the same operation. There were two dislocations of the prosthesis followed by immediate revision surgery. Contraindications for surgery appear to be the principal cause of failure rather than the prosthesis itself.