What is a cervical artificial disc replacement?

   Cervical artificial disc replacement is an alternative procedure to traditional anterior cervical fusion. Artificial disc replacement has the following advantages over fusion: 1) preservation of the cervical motion segment; and 2) avoidance of accelerated degeneration of adjacent segments.  Cervical artificial disc replacement is superior to anterior fusion, but the indications for artificial disc replacement are more stringent. The patient’s age and imaging such as power radiographs are required to determine whether artificial disc replacement is appropriate.  Since December 2003, Beihang Hospital has been the first to perform artificial disc replacement in the cervical spine, and as of October 2010, a total of 468 artificial cervical disc replacements have been performed in our hospital. As of October 2010, a total of 468 cases of artificial cervical disc replacement have been performed in our hospital, which is the leading number of cases in Asia.  Patients after artificial disc replacement at Beihang Hospital can leave a message on my website to schedule a post-operative review, thank you for your cooperation.