Is two-level cervical disc replacement long term?
A new study published in Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine examines two-level artificial disc replacement with LDR's Mobi-C artificial disc, which is FDA approved for two-level indications. The prospective, randomized study took place at 24 centers in the United States and included 330 patients who had surgery for degenerative disc disease. There were 225 patients who underwent cervical disc replacement and 105 that underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.
The patients were followed at regular intervals for four years. Here are five things to know about the study:
1. Both groups of patients had improvement 48 months after surgery in clinical outcomes measures and safety profiles.
2. Patients who underwent disc replacement showed greater improvement than patients who underwent ACDF for these outcomes measures:
• Neck Disability Index
• 12-Item Short Form Health Survey Physical Component Summary scores
• Patient satisfaction
• Overall success
3. The ACDF patients experienced higher subsequent surgery rates for adjacent segment degeneration.
4. The TDR patients maintained segmental range of motion at 48 months. There were no device failures.
5. The study authors concluded TDR was as "safe, effective and statistically superior alternative to ACDF for the treatment of degenerative disc disease at two contiguous cervical levels.