One spine surgical procedure that is an option to traditional spinal fusion is an artificial cervical disc replacement.  Today, there is one artificial cervical disc that has received FDA- approval and that is the Prestige Disc.  Additionally, Cervical discthere is the BRYAN cervical disc which has received preliminary FDA-approval. 

 

I have been involved in the clinical study of the BRYAN cervical disc – and have blogged about my involvement in this research.  Recently, I co-authored an article which summarized a 24-month follow-up study of patient’s that have received this BRYAN Cervical Disc. 

 

In this study, the outcomes of cervical arthoplasty (artificial BRYAN cervical disc) were compared to traditional spinal fusion surgery for the treatment of cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. In a spinal fusion surgery, technically called ACDF (anterior cervical discectomy and fusion), the damaged cervical disc is removed and then bone is fused to the treated area to maintain stability.  With the artificial BRYAN cervical disc, the damaged disc is removed and the artificial cervical disc is inserted/implanted. 

 

This study concluded that cervical disc arthoplasty had similar results to the ACDF as defined by the standard outcome scores.  More long-term studies are needed, but preliminary results indicate that the BRYAN disc created less strain on adjacent discs than fusion and it is projected that cervical disc arthroplasty will result in minimizing adjacent disc degeneration. 

 

Click here, to read the entire study.