A new study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine examines the Mobi-C artificial disc from LDR for two-level procedures.
The study includes five-year data comparing two-level disc replacements to spinal fusion procedures. Kris Radcliff, MD, associated professor in orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University; Domagoj Coric, MD, chief of neurosurgery at Carolinas Medical Center; and Todd Albert, MD, surgeon-in-chief and medical director and Korein-Wilson professor of orthopedic surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery authored the study.
Here are five key notes:
1. At five years, the success rate for two-level disc replacement was 61 percent, higher than 31 percent for the ACDF group.
2. The Neck Disability Index scores also improved for the disc replacement patients. The score improved 37 points for the disc replacement patients, compared with 28 points for the fusion patients.
3. Thirty-two percent of the disc replacement patients reported adjacent segment degeneration at the superior level, compared to 70.8 percent of the fusion patients. Twenty-two percent of the disc replacement patients reported adjacent segment degeneration at the inferior level, compared with 55.1 percent of fusion patients.
4. The rate of secondary surgeries was 7 percent for disc replacement patients and 21 percent for fusion patients.
5. The study also showed the biomechanical benefits of the disc replacement, reporting the arthrodesis places stress on adjacent segment which could contribute to the adjacent segmented degeneration. However, the disc replacement placed less stress on adjacent segments.