VIA Disc NP
A minimally invasive option for chronic low back pain from degenerative disc disease
Is your back pain coming from the disc?
Between each bone in your spine is an intervertebral disc, a cushion that absorbs shock and lets your back bend and twist. At the center of each disc is the nucleus pulposus, a soft, gel-like core made mostly of water.
With age, wear and tear, or injury, that core gradually loses water. The disc flattens and loses its cushioning, a process called degenerative disc disease. The result can be chronic low back pain that doesn't respond to rest or standard treatments.
Disc-related back pain is often worse with:
- Sitting for long periods or driving
- Leaning forward or bending, such as tying your shoes
- Coughing or sneezing
What is VIA Disc NP?
VIA Disc NP is an allograft, meaning tissue from a carefully screened human donor. It is made from the same gel-like disc material your spine has been losing. It is mixed with sterile saline and placed directly into the center of the painful disc through a thin needle, where it supplements lost tissue and supports the disc's natural cushioning.
For many patients, VIA Disc NP fills the gap between conservative care, such as physical therapy, medications, and injections, and spine surgery.
How it works
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The degenerated disc
Over time, the disc's core loses water and tissue, reducing its height and its ability to cushion.
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Delivery
Using live X-ray guidance, your physician places VIA Disc NP into the center of the disc through a thin needle.
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Supplemented disc
The allograft supplements the lost tissue and supports the disc's cushioning function.
See how VIA Disc NP works
What to expect
Before your procedure
You may be asked to stop blood thinners or certain other medications for several days beforehand. Our team will give you specific instructions. IV antibiotics are given before the procedure to reduce the risk of infection.
During your procedure
VIA Disc NP is a short outpatient procedure performed under strict sterile conditions, with local anesthetic or light sedation. Your physician uses live X-ray to guide a thin needle into the disc and slowly delivers the allograft. There is no incision, no stitches, and no implant, and you go home the same day.
After your procedure
Soreness for several days is normal and expected while the disc adjusts. Some patients have significant pain early on, and your physician may prescribe medication to keep you comfortable. Plan to limit strenuous activity for about 72 hours. We'll typically see you back in two to four weeks to check your progress.
Is VIA Disc NP right for you?
VIA Disc NP may be an option if you have chronic low back pain from degenerative disc disease that hasn't improved with physical therapy, medications, or injections. Our physicians will review your symptoms, exam, and MRI to determine whether your pain is coming from the disc and whether this treatment is a good fit.
Important safety information
An allograft is a tissue recovered from a human donor that is transferred to a human recipient.
Risks with Allograft Products like VIA Disc NP and the Associated Procedure: Careful donor screening, laboratory testing, and tissue processing, including sterilization via electron-beam irradiation of the disc tissue, have been used to minimize the risk of transmission of applicable diseases to the patient. Tissue donors are thoroughly screened and tested to meet or exceed safety standards mandated by the FDA and AATB. VIA Disc NP may be exposed to Gentamicin or Vancomycin, and trace amounts may remain. As with any processed human donor tissue, VIA Disc NP cannot be guaranteed to be free of all pathogens. ADVERSE EVENTS: Possible adverse events may include: transmission of disease of unknown cause and transmission of infectious agents (including but not limited to: HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, or microbial contaminants), pain and/or inflammation, hematoma (a collection of blood at the site of the injection), epidural bleedings (a collection of blood in the potential space between the dura (covering the spinal cord) and the bone along the spinal canal (hollow passage through the back bones through which the spinal cord runs)), infections (for example, at the injection site, in the spinal disc or bone in your spine and/or meningitis), neurological deterioration as serious as lesions of the cauda equina, sensory disturbances, disorder of potency or disorder of sexual sensibility, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula (a spinal fluid leak), relapsing herniation, bladder (urination) or bowel dysfunction, or vertebral end plate inflammation.
Vivex has used reasonable efforts to provide accurate and complete information herein, but this information should not be construed as providing clinical advice or as a substitute for the judgment of a health care provider.
VIA Disc NP is a registered trademark of Vivex Biologics, Inc.