New Treatment for Slipped Discs – Healing by Activating Endogenic Cells
November 2007 – Good news for patients suffering from spinal disc herniation: so far treatment was only aiming at fighting symptoms and relieving pain. Now the new Autologous Disc-derived Chondrocyte Transplantation (ADCT) is the first treatment to prevent a constant degeneration of the intervertebral discs. Endogenic cells taken from the disc are reactivated under optimum conditions, and then injected back into the disc, thus restoring its original buffering function – and the success rate is very high. From now on this innovative ADCT-treatment is offered by the back specialists from the Munich Alpha Clinic, Dr. Rudolf Bertagnoli and Drs. Horst Dekkers.
"Pain was unbearable and so severe that I was afraid of loosing my brain." recalls Kathrin Zierer. All of a sudden the ambitious competition rider could no longer pursue her hobby due to intense pain in the back and in the legs. "The treatment according to the ADCT method was like a second life for me. Today I can live again. And even riding causes no problem. It's like a miracle. I can still hardly believe it."
Isabell Würz is another patient who suffered from a severe spinal disc herniation. "I couldn't fall to sleep in the evening. In the mornings I used to slide from my bed to the floor and I cried all the time," recalls the 27 year old woman who has undergone a surgery according to the new ADCT method. "These cells have saved my back", says Isabelle Würz today. “I can move myself as before and I don’t feel any pain.”
Dr. Rudolf Bertagnoli and Drs. Horst Dekkers often hear statements like those from patients after they had a successful ADCT treatment. Therefore, Dr. Rudolf Bertagnoli is satisfied with his new method of treatment that permanently cures patients with disc disorders. “Since 2003 we already perform the autologous disc-derived chondrocyte transplantation (ADCT) in context of the EuroDisk-study. The results are promising; compared with the control group without ADCT a significant improvement of the healing process by ADCT has been proven.
Slipped disc – a common disease “Rigid outside, soft inside – that’s how our intervertebral discs are constructed”, Dr. Rudolf Bertagnoli explains. “Consisting of a fibrous ring and a jelly-like central portion they form the cushioning material for the spine. Especially the jelly-like core fulfils the buffering function of the discs. However, these shock absorbers are delicate, because the intervertebral discs are the largest human tissue without direct blood supply.” The metabolism is effected only by straining and relieving the discs and this is the only way how the nucleus is supplied with nutrients.
Dr. Rudolf Bertagnoli explains: “Especially in today’s society the slow metabolism is the ruin of the discs. Primitive people lead a life that is adjusted to an optimum rhythm of strain and relief of the intervertebral discs alternating every four to six hours. People of civilized populations, however, often experience strain of the discs for up to ten hours a day. The discs are strained while people are sitting or standing, and the jelly-like nuclei produce waste products. These waste products are not sufficiently removed due to lack of exercise. Furthermore, the nutrients that are important for the nutrition of the cells, cannot reach the discs. This is only possible during relief from strain, this means when lying down. As a consequence of consistent undersupply the cells of the jelly core diminish in time.” The unprotected fibrous ring will wear and tear. The result is damage of the discs and back pain.
In Germany every year 30,000 people undergo a spine surgery – and every tenth patient will relapse. The reason is that so far it has been tried to repair existing damages and to ease the suffering of the patients by physiotherapy, prescribing anti-inflammatory medication and conventional surgery. The real cause of this problem, however, the diminished nucleus, could not be treated.
Healing by ADCT
This has now changed with the Autologous Disc-derived Chondrocyte Transplantation: “By means of an endoscopic surgery we remove the prolapsed tissue from the herniated disc. Afterwards the intact cells from the removed tissue are multiplied under laboratory conditions. The cells retrieved this way are now capable to restore their original function” continues Dr. Rudolf Bertagnoli. “After 12 weeks the reactivated cells are re-injected into the patient’s disc core. Here they continue to produce the jelly material of the disc and supply the disc with sufficient nutrients.”
Proven success by EuroDisc Study
A EuroDisc Stduy, with a term of four years, confirmed the successful treatment and the complete recovery of the spinal disc herniation by ADCT treatment. This study was carried out at several European clinics under the clinical supervision of Dr. Rudolf Bertagnoli and under the control of ethic commissions. The double-blind study compared the results of ADCT and conventional disc surgery of more than 100 patients of both sexes between 18 and 60 years showing thus the scientific evidence.
Dr. Rudolf Bertagnoli comments: “Only during the operation it was decided by means of a random generator from which patients soft tissue cells would be taken for cultivation. After three months only the patients from the ADCT group had the cells re-injected that were cultivated and regenerated in the laboratory. Afterwards the doctors documented the healing process of both treatment groups over a period of two to four years.”
Examinations were carried out regarding the water content in the central portion of the disc, occurrence of pain and healing process. The result: the patients that had the ADCT showed significantly better values than the control group in all categories. Above all the functionality and the water content the ADCT group showed an improvement by 50% compared to the control group. Relief from pain during the healing process and restoring the function of the discs showed a result of about 35% above that of the control group. “We are content that we can help our patients to live a life free from pain with our treatment,” says Drs. Horst Dekkers, head physician and managing director of the spine disease department at the Alphaklinik in Munich. “And this is a permanent success, a revolutionary treatment that will help many of our patients.”
Dr. Rudolf Bertagnoli .. is a worldwide leading specialist in the field of motion and function preservation techniques, and specialist for spine arthroplasty, a surgery that uses motion preserving implants like artificial discs instead of stiffening the part of spine affected.
Drs. Horst Dekkers … is spine specialist, head physician and managing director of the Alpha-Klinik in Munich which specializes on the treatment of spinal diseases and knee and shoulder surgery.
Contact:
Dr.Rudolf Bertagnoli
Alpha-KlinikGmbH
Effnerstraße38
D-81925München
Email: bertagnoli@alphaklinik.de
ProSpine Klinikum St.Elisabeth
St.Elisabethstr.23
www.pro-spine.com
Email: bertagnoli@pro-spine.com
heller & partner communication GmbH
Mirjam Schmidt
Possartstraße 14
D-81679 München
Phone: +49-89-45710-332
Fax: +49-89-45710-305
E-mail: ms@heller-partner.de
