1. Through a small incision made near the front of the neck, the surgeon accesses the cervical spine, removing all or part of the disc (in some cases, bone material too) that’s pressing on the nerves and causing pain.

2. Then, a bone graft is placed between two or more affected vertebrae to promote bone growth. The graft material acts as a bind, helping maintain normal disc height.

3. As the body heals, the vertebral bone and bone graft eventually grow together to join the vertebrae and stabilise the spine.

A herniated disc or bone spurs (also called osteophytes) can put pressure on nerve roots, ligaments or the spinal cord as it passes through the cervical spine causing:


• Pain in the neck and/or arms

• Lack of coordination

• Numbness or weakness in the arms, forearms or fingers

This procedure is typically recommended only after non-surgical treatment methods fail. Your surgeon will consider your age, health, lifestyle, the condition to be treated and your anticipated level of activity following surgery.

Read more about the steps you can take to optimise your healing process.

As with any surgery, there are potential risks and complications that you and your physician will discuss*.

For this particular treatment, infection, nerve damage, blood clots, blood loss and bowel and bladder problems are some of the potential risks. There is also a chance that the spinal fusion fails due to the vertebral bone and graft not fusing – a condition that may require additional surgery.

*Always consult your physician for a complete list of indications, warnings, precautions, adverse effects, clinical results and other important medical information that pertains to the anterior cervical discectomy with fusion procedure.

Once the disc and bone material are removed from around the neural structures, your surgeon will insert a cervical artificial disc into the intervertebral space through a small incision made near the front of the neck.

The intervertebral discs of the cervical spine act as ‘cushions’ for each vertebra of your neck. These discs can become dried out, compressed or otherwise damaged over time, because of age, genetics and everyday wear-and-tear.

This disc degeneration can cause disc or bone material to push into a nearby nerve root and/or the spinal cord. This can cause pain, numbness, weakness, muscle spasms and loss of coordination around the affected area of the spine and elsewhere in the body.

The goal of cervical artificial disc surgery is to remove all or part of a damaged cervical disc (discectomy), relieve pressure on the nerves and/or spinal cord (decompression) and restore your spine’s stability and alignment.

To determine whether cervical artificial disc replacement surgery is the right treatment for you, your physician will perform a physical exam and other diagnostic testing. This may include spinal X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scan, myelogram and/or a bone scan.

Read more about the steps you can take to optimise your healing process.

As with any surgery, there are potential risks and complications that you and your physician will discuss*.

For this particular treatment, these may include: implant failure, infection, neck and/or arm pain, difficulty swallowing, voice hoarseness, bleeding or hematoma, nerve or spinal cord injury possibly causing impairment or paralysis, development or progression of disease at other cervical levels or a reaction to anaesthesia.

There is also the risk that this surgical procedure will not be effective, and may not relieve or may cause worsening of preoperative symptoms.

*Always consult your physician for a complete list of indications, warnings, precautions, adverse effects, clinical results and other important medical information that pertains to the cervical disc arthroplasty procedure.