Using Medtronic's Bryan cervical disc in cervical disc arthroplasty procedures can preserve and maintain motion longer compared to performing anterior cervical decompression and fusion procedures, according to a study in Spine.
Five things to know:
1. The FDA investigation compared cervical disc arthroplasty with ACDF for single-level patients 21 years or older with symptomatic cervical disc disease who had failed conservative care.
2. At the 10-year follow-up, 128 cervical disc arthroplasty and 104 ACDF patients were available for evaluation. Overall, 81.3 percent of patients who received the Bryan cervical disc and 66.3 percent of patients who received ACDF had successful procedures.
3. The rate of second surgeries at adjacent levels was lower for the cervical disc arthroplasty group — 9.7 percent — versus 15.8 percent for ACDF patients.
4. The average angular motions at index level for the Bryan disc and ACDF were 8.69 degrees and 0.60 degrees, respectively.
5. Cervical disc arthroplasty may have better long-term success compared to fusion, the study authors concluded.