Radiologic and Clinical Evaluation 12 Months after Anterior Cervical Diskectomy and Dynamic Stabilization of the Segment with Dynamic Cervical Implant

Abstract

Anterior cervical diskectomy (ACD) is an established therapy for degenerative cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. Controversy remains regarding the dynamic or rigid stabilization of the segment. We studied our first 31 patients treated with ACD plus the Dynamic Cervical Implant (DCI) as an alternative to fusion or to arthroplasty, treated between February 2009 and 2011. Radiologic data were collected before and 12 months after surgery. Clinical results were documented 12 months after surgery. The radiologic analysis focused on the mobility of the segment, position of the implant, amount of preoperative osteochondrosis, and the development of heterotopic ossifications (HOs) after 1 year.At the 1-year follow-up after DCI implantation, there was quite a high fusion rate (23%); however, the formation of HOs was comparable with that of arthroplasty. Fusion could not be predicted by viewing the degree of disk degeneration on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging studies and had no negative impact on the clinical outcome. As an alternative to arthroplasty, DCI does maintain some flexion-extension mobility after 1 year in 77% of our cases.

Clinical and radiological outcomes of dynamic cervical implant arthroplasty: A 5-year follow-up

“…Hypermobility of the FSU and over-correction of the height of the operated segment may increase the formation of HO after C-ADR. Several studies reported the incidence of HO after DCI stabilization to be 22.3% to 35%, which seemed to be in a lower range than that in C-ADR population[ 10 , 11 , 15 , 21 , 24 ]. Liu et al [ 10 ] analyzed the radiologic data collected in a 24-mo follow-up study.…”