Cervical disc replacement compared to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion did better at 10 years, according to a study in the International Journal of Spine Surgery.
The study compared disc replacement using Zimmer Biomet's Mobi-C with ACDF across three centers. A total 155 patients were enrolled in the study, and composite success scores for the disc replacement group was 62.4 percent. The ACDF group had a composite success score of 22.2 percent.
The disc replacement group had lower risk of subsequent and adjacent-level surgery after 10 years. The progression to radiographically significant adjacent-segment pathology at 10 years was also lower in the disc replacement patients.
Nearly 99 percent of disc replacement patients said they were "very satisfied" after 10 years compared to 88.9 percent of those who underwent ACDF.
The study, published April 1 concluded, "In this postmarket study, CDA was superior to ACDF for treating symptomatic cervical DDD. CDA was statistically superior to ACDF for clinical success, subsequent surgery, and neurologic success. Results through 10 years demonstrate that CDA continues to be a safe and effective surgical alternative to fusion."