Less than 2% of cervical disc replacements needed a removal or revision, according to a publication in the Oct. 1 issue of Spine.
Researchers with Plano-based Texas Back Institute analyzed data from 1,626 of their cervical disc replacement patients between 2003 to June 2021. Disc replacements of up to three levels and hybrid fusion cases were included.
"We were trying to benchmark against hip and knee replacements that have a lot of literature, over multiple decades, and patients and colleagues asked about the revision rate for disc replacement," Scott Blumenthal, MD, a spine surgeon with Texas Back Institute and an author of the study, told Becker's. "Since we have as large a series as anybody, we were able to come up with a number. Now we can benchmark against the other arthroplasties of different joints in the body."
Of the 1,626 patients, 23 needed implant removal, and another needed a revision, the study found. In the removal cases, an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion was performed for 18 patients, and five patients had their implant replaced.
The revision case involved a disc replacement repositioning three days after the initial surgery.
Along with Dr. Blumenthal, Richard Guyer, MD; Jessica Shellock, MD; Jack Zigler, MD, and Donna Ohnmeiss, PhD, Emily Courtois and Cody Griffin, DO, are also listed as study investigators.
Researchers with Texas Back Institute published a similar study in April for lumbar disc replacements. That study found that over 20 years and in a pool of 2,141 patients, 1.26% needed a revision or removal surgery.
With the two studies published, Dr. Blumenthal said the next steps will involve deeper questions about disc replacement devices.
"It's really advantageous to have a large data set because we can ask certain questions," Dr. Blumenthal said. "Are certain different designs of discs more prone for different failure modes? Are more constrained, less constrained, elastomeric or compliant discs versus ball and socket. I think the next series of studies will be using the data set, but asking more specific questions."