In spinal device research, questions on conflicts

Doctors at about half of the 17 research centers involved in a study of the Prodisc, an artificial spinal disk, had more than a medical interest in the outcome. They stood to profit financially if the Prodisc succeeded, according to confidential information from a patient's lawsuit settled last year. The companies behind the disks and the surgeons who were willing to comment say the researchers' financial interests had no impact on findings of the research, which they say have been published in various peer-reviewed medical journals.