2008-06-03 23:35:27 -

www.auroramed.com - Dr. Jeffrey Kleiner, spinal surgeon, performed the first diskectomy in the United States using adult stem cells to help repair the lower back. This milestone marks the beginning of how some types of back surgery will be performed in the future.

"By injecting stem cells into the disk we hope to allow cellular recovery of the damaged

tissue," said Dr. Kleiner. "The stem cells should take on the properties of the cells within the disk and ultimately improve the hydration of the disk and prevent the progression of degeneration."

The stem cells used in this surgery were harvested from the adult patient and were cultured and grown to larger numbers using a proprietary technique by a local Colorado company, Regenerative Sciences. They were injected back into the same patient during the surgery this morning. This autologous process has been used for percutaneous injections to the back and joints before, but never during a spine surgery.

"Stem cells have shown great promise over the past three years for treating back pain," said Dr. Kleiner. "In combination with the diskectomy, we hope to offer patients long-term relief from their back pain and to decrease their risk of needing additional surgeries."

A diskectomy is a surgery to remove a herniated or bulging intervertebral disk. Dr. Kleiner has been performing this surgery using a minimally invasive technique for the past 18 years.

The Medical Center of Aurora/Centennial Medical Plaza
Amy Speagle, 303-873-5683
Cell: 720-641-2803
Marketing & PR Director
amy.speagle@healthonecares.com