Comparing Anterior Cervical Discectomy Fusion with Cervical Disc Arthroplasty in Cervical Spondylosis

Abstract

The present article reviews updated research, patient selection, complications associated with types of cervical disc implants, and its use in patients with multilevel cervical spondylosis. Recent metanalysis comparing Cervical Disc Arthroplasty (CDA) and Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) has demonstrated safety and equal or superior clinical outcomes based on SF-36 NDI and VAS scores. Recent studies show similar outcomes for using CDA in two-level cervical disc disease of those suffering radiculopathy and/or /myelopathy. Long-term studies are more available to show decreased rates of adjacent segment disease and reoperation rates following cervical disc replacement. Cervical arthroplasty continues to be a promising technique for which now there is growing level 1a evidence. Further long-term data is awaited to investigate two-level CDA and reoperation rates specifically due to adjacent level disease, subsidence, implant migration, and heterotropic ossification.