Collin County Living Well Magazine November/December 2017 | Page 53

Cervical Disc Replacement
Lowers the Risk of Future Surgery
By M. Viktor Silver, MD, FRCSC, FACS, FAANS
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Your symptoms may include:
our cervical spine is made
up of the seven bones,
called cervical vertebrae,
stacked on top of each
other in your neck area.
The cervical disks are the cushions
that lie between the cervical verte-
brae and act as shock absorbers to
allow your neck to move freely.
• Neck pain
• Neck stiffness
• Headache
• Pain, weakness and tingling or
“Pins and need les” or numbness
that travels down into your shoul-
ders or into your arms.
• The damaged disc may be irritat-
ing the Spinal cord (myelopathy)
or nerve roots (radiculopathy). This
can cause a loss of feeling, loss
of movement, pain, weakness, or
tingling down the arm and possibly
into the hands.
Procedure overview
Cervical disk replacement surgery
involves removing a diseased cervi-
cal disk and replacing it with an arti-
ficial disk. It is done when the space
between your vertebrae has become
too narrow and part of your verte-
brae or your cervical disk is pressing
on your spinal cord or spinal nerves, causing you pain,
numbness, or weakness. When these symptoms do not re-
spond to nonsurgical types of treatment, disk surgery may
be recommended.
Using an artificial disk to replace your
natural cervical disk is a new
type of treatment that has re-
cently been approved by the
FDA. In traditional cervical
disk surgery, the diseased disk
is removed and the cervical ver-
tebrae above and below the disk
may be fused together. Disk replace-
ment surgery may have the advantage of al-
lowing more movement and creating less stress on your
remaining vertebrae than traditional cervical disk surgery,
and decreasing the need for future surgery.
Reasons for the procedure
By allowing normal movement at the disc, there is less wear
and tear of the joints above and below. Disc replacement
is a minimally invasive technique that reduces the need for
additional surgery and it is best recommended for younger
patients.
Disc replacement surgery is often done with one night stay and
with over 90% arm pain improvement.
During the procedure
Just before the procedure starts you will have an intrave-
nous line (IV) started so you can receive fluids and medica-
tions to make you relaxed and sleepy. This procedure is
usually done under general anesthesia (you are asleep). A
one- to two-inch incision (surgical cut) is made on the side
or front of your neck. The important structures of the neck
are carefully moved to the side until the surgeon can see
the bones of the vertebrae and the cervical disk. Then,
the cervical disk that is being replaced is removed fol-
lowed by the artificial disk being placed into the emp-
ty disk space. The incision is closed using absorbable
sutures (stitches) under the skin. The skin is then carefully
closed with sutures that minimize any scarring.
After the procedure
Once you can drink normally, you will be able to start eating your
normal diet. You’ll continue to take pain medication if you need
it and you may be given a support collar to wear in the hospital.
You’ll be encouraged to get out of bed and move around as soon
as you can and may start physical therapy after a few weeks. You
should be able to return to full activities by four to six weeks.
Dr. Silver is a double-board certified Neurosurgeon by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and by
the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He graduated from one the largest neurosurgical
training centers in North America only to further specialize in the treatment of Spine Disorders.
Learn about Dr. Silver’s state-of-the-art office by visiting www.silverneurosurgery.com.
COLLIN COUNTY Living Well Magazine | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017
51