Cervical artificial disc replacement involves the replacement of a damaged disc with an artificial disc to preserve range of motion in the neck by negating the need for a fusion. Despite being a newer procedure with less of a track record, there are some facts in cervical disc replacement that we wanted to share with our readers.
Five-year data involving one type of artificial disc (ProDisc-C) suggests a 97-percent likelihood that patients won’t require a second procedure after having disc replacement surgery (compared with an 85 percent rate for fusion patients).
While the success rates in patients who have had cervical disc replacement is impressive, insurance companies are still reluctant to cover the procedure since it’s still considered an experimental procedure. If you are considering such a surgery, it’s important to work with an experienced Los Angeles spine surgeon like Dr. Bae who specializes in insurance for single and multi-level disc replacement.
Due to a lower re-operation rate, disc replacement offers long-term savings. The Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine further confirms the cost-effectiveness of disc placement by noting that the cost per quality-adjusted life year is roughly $5,000 lower than the same figure for patients having anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.
Patients with disc issues at multiple locations now have the option to choose multi-level disc replacement rather than fusion surgery to achieve better stability in the cervical spine. The FDA recently approved the use of an artificial disc (LDR’s Mobi-C artificial disc) for two-level procedures since the reliability of such procedures continues to improve.
As was the case with previous advances in spine surgery, disc replacement is expected to become widely accepted as costs continue to decline and success rates continue to improve. A Millennium Research Group report predicts that the spinal non-fusion market will grow substantial through 2022.
For more information about cervical artificial disc replacement, call (310) 828-7757 and request an in-person consultation with Dr. Hyun Bae, MD, one of the surgeons that helped the Mobi-C disc gain FDA approval for one and two level applications. We look forward to hearing from you.