Intervertebral Disc Damage & Repair - its Pros And Cons

Mir Mahmoud Mortazavi R ,Annie John

Incidence of Low Back Pain (LBP) is attributed to the degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) occurring during the second or third decade of life. This has emerged as the most expensive global healthcare problem with costs in billion. The IVD comprises of an inner nucleus pulposus (NP) and an outer Annulus Fibrosis (AF). They act as cushions between the vertebrae of the vertebral column. Current treatment modalities involve conservative management (medication and physical therapy) or surgical intervention (spine fusion, total disc replacement (TDR), or NP replacement. Since the last decade, there has been a surge of interest in applying tissue-engineering principles (scaffold and cells) to treat spinal problems associated with IVD.