Long-Term Functional and Symptomatic Outcomes of Cervical Disc Prostheses

Abstract

Objective: Cervical disc arthroplasty aims preservation of motion at the operated level while minimizing degenerative disease at adjacent levels. This study aimed to examine the long-term functional outcomes of patients with cervical disc pathology who were operated with arthroplasty technique. Method: Sixty-eight patients who underwent cervical disc prosthesis implantation for disc herniation or spondylosis were included. Functional outcomes over time were evaluated using Neck Disability Index (NDI) and visual analogue scale (VAS) at baseline and 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 4 years and 7 years after surgery. Results: Mean duration of follow-up was 5.4±1.8 years (median, 7 y; range, 1-7 y). At the last follow-up visit, VAS and NDI scores were significantly lower compared to baseline (1.2±0.9 vs. 7.7±1.2, p<0.001 and 5.5±5.0 vs. 40.4±5.8, p<0.001, respectively). VAS and NDI scores were improved at all measured time points compared to baseline (p<0.001 for all comparisons). A plateau was reached at 2 years and at 1 year for VAS and NDI scores, respectively. The overall predefined surgical success rate was 86.8% at the last follow-up. Conclusion: Findings of this study supports the benefit of cervical dynamic disc systems in cervical disc surgery in terms of functional outcomes both in the short-term after surgery and in the long term.