OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of long-term results of cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) and comparison with fusion in the treatment of disc herniation. METHODS: Patients with cervical radiculopathy due to single level disc herniation submitted to CDA between June 2003 and July 2006 (arthroplasty group). Clinical and radiographic evaluation was performed preoperatively, after one year and at least five years after the procedure. A fusion group, who underwent anterior decompression and fusion in the same period, was used as control and was evaluated at final follow-up. RESULTS: 22 patients in the arthroplasty group and 12 in the fusion group, with mean follow-up of 5.4 years. In the first evaluation we obtained an average mobility of 8.8° (range 2.2°-22°), and this decreased on average 3.6º (range-18º-3.8º) to the final date of follow-up. At the time of final follow-up, 28% of patients who initially underwent arthroplasty lost the desired mobility; the NDI was 21% in the arthroplasty group vs 36.5% in the fusion group (p=0.008); there was a tendency for a lower cervical (2.9 vs 4.6) and arm VAS (2.8 vs 4.9) in the arthroplasty group (p>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the two arthroplasties used with respect to mobility, functional scores, or complications. All patients in the arthroplasty group would repeat the procedure in comparison to only 67% of the fusion group (p=0.021). CONCLUSIONS: Both techniques proved to be effective in the treatment of cervical disc herniation. The loss of mobility was not clinically significant.The arthroplasty group showed slightly superior results in the functional outcomes.
Spine; Intervertebral disc displacement; Spondylosis; Spinal fusion; Arthroplasty
