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Restoring Motion
Meridian offers yet another breakthrough surgical procedure to area patients — one available only at Jersey Shore and one that has landed this Asbury Park man back on his feet.
Total disc replacement, also known as artificial disc spine surgery, has been available in Europe since the 1990s. But it was only approved in the United States in late 2004. It is a complex surgery that carries risks, and as such, it requires special training and a great deal of skill. Furthermore, patients must meet specific criteria to be eligible for the procedure.
Luckily for Scott Caswell, 34, of Asbury Park, he not only met the prerequisites, but as an area resident, he had access to the expertise and talents of Michael F. Lospinuso, M.D., vice chair of Orthopedic Surgery at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, one of a select group of spine surgery specialists in the country qualified to perform this leading-edge procedure.
A Regional First
In fact, in all of central New Jersey, artificial disc surgery is available exclusively at Jersey Shore, where the first such procedure in the region was performed in the fall of 2005.
Dr. Lospinuso describes the change in thinking from traditional fusion surgery that this newer option represents: "In that procedure, surgeons remove the pain-causing or degenerating disc and insert a bone graft that fuses to the vertebrae above and below it. This stabilizes the spine but limits motion." With the total disc replacement, however, "we're trying to re-create as normal a movement as possible through the artificial disc. Basically, the surgery begins with a small incision in the abdomen for a minimally invasive approach to the spine after the aorta and vena cava vessels have been mobilized with the assistance of a vascular surgeon. Then we remove the degenerative or collapsed disc and completely reconstruct the area with an artificial disc."
Uncommon Care
As complicated as the details sound, analytically minded Scott, a computer technician by trade, had thoroughly researched this treatment option as part of his ongoing commitment to regain his active lifestyle following an injury.
"Since I first injured my back at work in 2002," Scott says, "I have been following all of the available treatments. I read about the studies conducted in Europe and then the initial trials in the United States at the end of that year." Scott's research quickly led him to the conclusion that Jersey Shore offered him the best course of action for his condition. "Dr. Lospinuso was instrumental in helping me to understand all of the pros and cons of this innovation," Scott continues, "and I developed complete trust in his skill as a surgeon."
When it was Scott's turn to be the recipient of that skill, Dr. Lospinuso was assisted in the operating room by Franklin J. Frasco, M.D., a vascular surgeon at Jersey Shore.
Scott enthusiastically praises the care and expertise he received at the Medical Center. "Everybody at Jersey Shore was great, from the start of my pre-screening through the care of the nurses and the skill of the physicians. I was so impressed when both Drs. Lospinuso and Frasco were by my bed the day after my surgery. They made feel comfortable, explaining things very well in a manner I could understand. You don't get that everywhere."
On Steady Ground
Although Scott experienced some inevitable pain, "I was standing up the day after the procedure. My physical therapist got me out of bed and moving right away. He fit me with a brace and walker and taught me the relevant exercise that became part of my rehabilitation."
Scott is taking his full recovery slowly, but full he intends it to be. He looks forward to resuming his favorite sports — golf and basketball — but for the moment, he's happy just to be able to stand up straight and walk around without pain.
From the start, he's maintained an admirable attitude: "Not only did I have full confidence in the team going into surgery, but after my surgery, I was very pleased with my outcome. I am grateful that I was a candidate for the disc replacement and for the care I received at Jersey Shore. I am going to get my life back."
 – Ryan Younger
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