Cervical Disc Replacement - Risks and Benefits

spinal stenosis

Exactly what is a cervical disc replacement and what is it necessary? It is a device inserted between two cervical vertebrae to replace a surgically removed vertebral disc. What this basically means is that this disc will help to stabilize and maintain the motion of the neck after surgically removing a diseased disc in the neck. Disc replacement surgery is done to stop the symptoms of degenerative disc disease. Our discs wear out as a natural part of aging and from stress and strain on the neck. Eventually, the disc collapses and implanting this device is a last resort option when non surgical treatments means have failed to improve the health of the patient. The benefit of the surgery is obviously to help treat the worn out part of a patient's aging neck. It is usually a strong metal structure, thus eliminating most of the concern of whether or not the patient will require further replacements. The patient can recover quickly from the surgery and can be back to work within four to six week when following a strict recovery protocol. However, I believe that there are way too many risks and potential complications associated with this surgery.

When you stop and think about it for a moment, some things can go wrong with any implant. In the case of the disc replacement, sometimes the spine fuses itself, a process called spontaneous ankylosis. Loss of neck motion is the main side effect of this problem. Some patients are left with pain, numbness, and weakness. In addition, normal wear and tear over a prolonged period of time can cause debris to come off of the implant. The body may react to these tiny particles and cause pain, implant loosening, and implant failure. In rare cases, the artificial disc replacement can dislocate altogether and more complications will arise. Most surgical procedures require that some type of anesthesia be done before surgery. A very small number of patients have problems with anesthesia, however to avoid falling into that small percentage, consult your doctor. Thrombophlebitis is a fancy scientific term for blood clots, and they usually occur on the pelvis, hip or knee. When left untreated, they are life threatening. Infection following spine surgery is also rare but can be a very serious complication. Some infections may show up early and uninvited! Deep infections that spread into the bones and soft tissues of the spine are much harder to deal with and may require additional surgery. Cervical disc replacement surgery also carries the risks associated with injuring the blood vessels that travel near the front of the spine. Boy, these risks are piling up mighty fast.

Could you imagine if the surgeon makes a mistake? Injury can occur from bumping or cutting the nerve tissue with a surgical instrument, from swelling around the nerve, or from the formation of scar tissue. Any of these will result in muscle weakness and a loss of sensation to the areas supplied by the nerve. After doing some research, I believe that the potential for the voice box to be injured scares me the most. When doing this neck surgery, surgeons prefer to go through the left side of the neck, and coincidentally that's the closest path to the voice box. If the nerve gets injured in any way, shape or form, you can guarantee that you will have some hoarseness, voice fatigue, or difficulty making high tones. I love to talk; I couldn't imagine having that taken away from me "accidentally". While rare, spinal surgery can result in stroke, heart attack, spinal cord or spinal nerve injury, pneumonia, or possibly death. I don't like the sound of any of those possibilities! These are the more dangerous complications one can deal with after the surgery if performed. After realizing how dangerous this surgery can be, I definitely will be taking better care of myself and my health to prevent this from happening to me. If this surgery can be avoided altogether, I'd rather take that route instead of the latter.