Saint Margaret Mercy first to use resorbable plate for spinal fusion surgery

DYER – Neurosurgeons at Saint Margaret Mercy’s Dyer Campus were the first in Northwest Indiana to use the Mystique™ System, a Resorbable Graft Containment Plating System for cervical spine fusions, which stands to revolutionize the process of single-level anterior cervical disc fusion surgery. The resorbable plate allows surgeons to implant a device, which offers benefits similar to those of a traditional metallic plate, and patients may take comfort in knowing that the implant is not permanent.

Drs. M. Hytham Rifai and Kevin Waldron of Neurological Spinal Surgery, P.C., and neurosurgeons on staff at Saint Margaret Mercy are the first in Northwest Indiana to use the Mystique System to alleviate nerve or spinal cord compression. Rebecca Adams was the first recipient of the new plating system on August 12. She was discharged the same day.

The plating system uses a high-tech biologic material that is reabsorbed by the body over a period of 18-36 months and alleviates the need for a permanent implant in the patient’s neck. Mystique’s plate and screws provide stability similar to that of traditional metal plates but resorption eliminates the need for secondary surgeries that may be required to remove previously implanted metallic devices, providing peace of mind to patients. The plate’s transparent nature allows doctors to visualize the spine during surgery and can improve the reading of postoperative X-rays. Before insertion, the plate can also be contoured to better match the patient’s unique anatomy.

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Adams presented in December 2004 complaining of neck pain radiating to her right shoulder and down her arm. She described difficulty with coordination and trouble buttoning her shirt. She also experienced shakiness and loss of balance. An MRI of her cervical spine revealed severe cervical stenosis causing significant compression of the spinal cord. Surgery was advised at that time, but postponed due to other medical problems, until August.
Initially, Adams was offered the traditional metal plating system, but opted for the Mystique plating system. Two weeks after surgery, Adams reported that she was doing “extremely well” and is looking forward to beginning therapy further into the healing process. For her, the greatest advantage of the new system is not having a permanent implant.

About Mystique™
The Mystique Plate is the first implant of its kind for spinal surgery.
When surgery is needed to alleviate nerve or spinal cord compression, a surgeon may perform a procedure called an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. In this procedure the surgeon makes a small incision in the front of the neck to reach the cervical spine. The disc is removed and the space is filled with bone graft.

The Mystique plate is used for stabilizing the weak bony tissue around the fusion, preventing bone graft dislodgment and facilitating healing. It is flexible and made of material that dissolves in the body within 18 to 36 months after implantation.

Nearly 200,000 cervical spinal fusions are performed each year to treat degenerative disc disease. Degenerative disc disease, which affects approximately half of the population age 40 and older, can cause a variety of symptoms, including back or neck pain, nerve root pathology and spinal cord compression. Spinal fusion, a surgery commonly used to treat degenerative disc disease after conservative treatments have failed, stabilizes the vertebrae to eliminate the pain caused by a degenerated disc.
For more information, contact Saint Margaret Mercy’s neuroscience nurse practitioner at (219) 865-2141, ext. 45181.