Dr. Todd Lanman 1st Surgeon in U.S. to Reverse Lumbar Fusion With Artificial Disc

Todd Lanman, MD, became the first spine surgeon in the U.S. to reverse a patient’s lumbar spinal fusion and return them to full motion by implanting an artificial disc, according to a March 25 news release.

The procedure had previously been used only to reverse spinal fusions in the cervical spine.

The patient was a 47-year-old man who underwent spinal fusion to address debilitating pain stemming from a car accident in 2014. He had the surgery in September 2020 but continued to experience pain from a degenerative disc at L4-5, according to the report. Dr. Lanman was able to perform an off-label lumbar reversal because the bone had not fully healed at L5-S1.

The patient is no longer experiencing pain, numbness or weakness a week after surgery and is expected to begin physical therapy in about a month, the release said.

Dr. Lanman is founder of Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Advanced Disc Replacement Spinal Restoration Center, which recently opened an office in Miami and also has plans to expand to Texas.