Clinical results of charité lumbar total disc replacement.

To preserve segmental lumbar motion and to prevent adjacent segment disease, there has been a growing enthusiasm for the use of intervertebral disc prosthesis as an alternative to segmental lumbar fusion. To date, more than 100-disc prostheses have been designed, but only 10 prostheses have been approved and implanted in humans. The Charité Artificial Disc has had the longest clinical follow-up with more than 5000 implantations in over 30 countries and reported > 10-year satisfactory results.