ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:Artificial total disc replacement is one treatment of low back pain in recent years, but the report on the effect of disc replacement on lumbar sagittal plane is rare. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the effect of lumbar disc replacement on lumbar lordosis. METHODS:Retrospective analysis of radiographic data of 17 patients who underwent lumbar disc replacement for single segment degenerative disc disease was carried out. Data measurement included preoperative and postoperative lumbar lordosis, diseased segmental lordosis and lumbar intervertebral angle. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Al the 17 patients were fol owed-up for more than 12 months. Lumbar disc replacement was performed at L4-5 segment in three cases and L5-S1 segment in 14 cases. The average diseased segmental lordosis and lumbar lordosis were increased significantly after replacement when compared with those before replacement (P<0.05);the lumbar intervertebral angle was increased after replacement when compared with that before replacement, but the difference was not significant. The results indicate that lumbar disc replacement for the treatment of single segment degenerative disc disease can increase the lumbar lordosis and diseased segmental lordosis, which can help to improve the lumbar sagittal balance. The postoperative lumbar intervertebral angle has no correlation with the implant angle of the prosthesis on the replace segment.