An Introduction to Cervical Disc Replacement

Since 2010, Kristen Radcliff, MD, has served as a spinal surgeon at the Rothman Institute in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. Dr. Kristen Radcliff works on all sections of the spine, including the cervical spine, and has performed a number of cervical disc replacement surgeries.

One of two primary surgical approaches to correct a damaged disc in the vertebrae of the neck, cervical disc replacement has been an active option since 2007, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first artificial cervical disc. Studies have since shown the technique to be as effective as cervical fusion in improving arm and neck pain.

The procedure itself requires the surgeon to remove the damaged disc and replace it with a fabricated replacement. The replacement typically contains two metal surfaces, each of which connects to a vertebra either above or below the replaced disc. Some models have between the two metal surfaces a piece of medical plastic, while others allow the metal surfaces to glide directly against one another.

Attached to the bone by screws or an anchor, the cervical disc replacement allows for the preservation of movement between the two vertebrae. Research has shown that this supports a range of motion that can be as good as or better than cervical fusion surgery.