PROCEDURES

Cervical Artificial Disc Replacement is the surgical removal of a herniated or degenerative cervical disc and the replacement of the disc with a motion preserving artificial disc implant. The surgery is designed to relieve symptoms associated with a disc herniation or degenerative disc and also to preserve normal motion at the operative level.

Artificial Disc Replacement was designed as an alternative to a more traditional approach which involves fusion of the herniated disc segment.

Prospective randomized surgery has shown to provide similar results to fusion surgery; however, long term follow-up does not clearly demonstrate a decrease in the adjacent level disc herniations that are more common with fusion surgery.

• Anterior refers to the approach of surgery which is in the front of the neck.
• Cervical refers to the position on the spine, which is in the neck region.
• Artificial disc refers to a mechanical implant designed to allow for normal motion between two vertebrae.

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