Preliminary Clinical Results With a New Lumbar Interspinous Spacer

To study use of DIAM (Device for Intervertebral Assisted Motion) for lumbar spine surgery. Five cases were of lumbar spine surgeries were operated using DIAM (Device for Intervertebral Assisted Motion). All patients were assessed for functional outcome using Greenhough and Fraser score. The indications for surgery were multilevel disc degeneration in four patients and single level disc degeneration with acute on chronic prolapse in one case. Four patients were young active male patients and two patients had a sedentary lifestyle. All patients were mobilized within twenty four hours of surgery. For DIAM, at short term follow-up of 4 months, sixty percent patients (three) had excellent results and forty percent (two) had good results . A posterior interspinous stabilizer is effective in reducing the intersegmental flexion-extension motion that is observed after a discectomy or a partial facetectomy. Realignment of the facet interface restores facet congruity. Distraction of the neural arch results in enlargement of neural foramen thereby relieving neural compression. DIAM alters load transfer through the functional spinal unit. Non fusion technology will be needed as we face younger population with multi-level disc disease. DIAM, Spine, disc prolapse