Educational information for patients. It does not replace individual medical advice.
Clinical studies are the main source for understanding how artificial discs perform over time. Patient stories provide a different perspective by showing how individual people describe their lives years after surgery.
Dr. Bertagnoli has treated patients who have shared follow-up updates on their patient experiences after artificial disc replacement more than a decade later.
Key takeaways
- Clinical studies are the main source for understanding how artificial discs perform over time.
- Patient stories provide a different perspective by showing how individual people describe their lives years after surgery.
- These stories are individual patient experiences, not clinical evidence of how long an artificial disc will last.
- Research and experience like this show a surgeon's track record; they do not promise the same result for every patient.
Joe Kilraine More Than 17 Years After Lumbar ADR
Joe Kilraine underwent lumbar artificial disc replacement at L2-L5 with Prof. Dr. Rudolf Bertagnoli. He first shared an update 10 years after surgery and later contacted the team again more than 17 years after his procedure.
In his long-term update, Joe described remaining physically active and shared how he was doing many years after treatment.
Read Joe Kilraine’s 17-Year ADR Follow-Up
13 Years After Two-Level Lumbar ADR
Another patient had lived with significant back problems before travelling for treatment with Prof. Dr. Bertagnoli. She underwent two-level lumbar artificial disc replacement and later shared an update 13 years after surgery.
Her story describes how her condition and daily life had changed over those years and gives a personal view of long-term life after lumbar ADR.
Read the 13-Year ADR Patient Story
10 Years After Multi-Level Cervical ADR
One patient who underwent four-level cervical artificial disc replacement shared an update 10 years after treatment. In his account, he described returning to an active lifestyle and discussed how he was doing a decade after surgery. His account also raises his own question to the surgeon about possible heterotopic ossification, meaning bone forming around the implants, which is not the same as a confirmed problem or a failed implant.
His experience gives patients a real-world look at life years after multi-level cervical ADR.
Read the 10-Year Cervical ADR Follow-Up
Diane Giarratona 14 Years After Disc Replacement
Diane Giarratona also shared a long-term update after treatment with Prof. Dr. Bertagnoli. Fourteen years after her surgery, she described how she was doing and reflected on her experience many years after disc replacement.
Her follow-up adds another individual perspective to the longer-term patient stories available from Dr. Bertagnoli.
Read Diane’s 14-Year Follow-Up
Note* These stories are individual patient experiences, not clinical evidence of how long an artificial disc will last. Results, recovery and implant longevity vary depending on the patient, the spinal condition, the implant and other clinical factors.
Why Surgeon Experience and Follow-Up Matter
Surgeon experience is important in artificial disc replacement because long-term results depend on more than the implant itself. Careful patient selection, choosing an appropriate implant, accurate positioning and planning for single-level, multi-level or complex cases all play a role in treatment. Experience with revision surgery is also valuable when evaluating patients who have already undergone previous spine procedures. When searching for the best ADR surgeon for an individual case, patients may want to consider experience with the specific implant, cervical and lumbar ADR, complex cases, revision surgery and long-term follow-up rather than relying on a single label or claim. Guidance on choosing an Artificial Disc Replacement Surgeon can help patients work through this.
Follow-up is part of the same picture. Artificial discs are checked over time through clinical review, which usually combines how a patient feels and functions with imaging such as X-rays to check the position of the device and the alignment of the spine. Patients should follow the schedule their treating surgeon recommends, since it is set to the individual and the device. The aim is to pick up any change early. Dr. Bertagnoli's guidance on artificial disc replacement aftercare sets out what follow-up after surgery can involve. Research and experience like this show a surgeon's track record; they do not promise the same result for every patient.
