The ProDisc-C total disc replacement was compared with single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in a new Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery article.
There were 209 patients included in the study; 103 received the ProDisc and 106 underwent ACDF. The seven-year follow-up rate was 92 percent — 152 of 165 patients. Here are five key findings.
1. The procedures were both effective introducing neck and arm pain as well as improving and maintaining function and health-related quality of life.
2. Around 88 percent of the ProDisc-C patients maintained or improved neurologic status; 89 percent of the ACDF patients reported the same.
3. At the seven-year mark, patients reported 30 secondary surgical procedures performed in 106 of the patients in the ACDF group and seven of the 103 patients in the ProDisc-C group.
4. There weren't significant differences in device-related adverse events between the groups.
5. The researchers concluded ProDisc-C patients had lower risk for additional surgeries, "suggesting that total disc arthroplasty provides durable results and has the potential to slow the rate of adjacent-level disease," concluded the study authors.