Artificial Cervical Disc Replacement

The cervical artificial disc replacement is a great alternative to the anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in specific clinical situations.  At the affected spine level, there must be minimal or no arthritis in the areas where motion occurs (the back of the spine and near the nerve roots).  This procedure is currently done only when one or two spine levels are affected.  This procedure is not for patients that have arthritis or stenosis at multiple levels.  The great advantage of this procedure is that it preserves motion where a disc has been determined to be the source of pain.  This intervention can reduce the risk of developing ASD (adjacent segment disease), which can occur at a higher rate after cervical fusion.  ASD occurs when the vertebral bodies are fused together, which results in longer vertebrae that exert greater torque on the intervertebral levels above and below the area of fusion.  This is thought to increase the rate of degeneration of those levels.  With the cervical disc replacement, the goal is to eliminate symptoms, preserve motion at the affected spine level(s), and reduce the effects of degeneration on adjacent levels.