Introduction: BACKGROUND: The role of cervical arthroplasty in young patients athletes is controversial. We intent to determine outcome in a selective cohort of cervical disc herniation after total cervical disc replacement (TCDR) in a comparative prospective study.
Methods: 21 consecutive patients underwent microdiscectomy with implantation of a “Total Cervical Device”. Group 1 consisted of 10 patients, high competitive sportsmen. Group 2 comprised 11 patients with no sports relationship. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to grade cervical and the patient’s postoperative clinical status was rated according to the modified Nurick criteria.
Results: Mean VAS score improved significantly at 1 year follow up from 7.3 at baseline to 1.75 in group 1 and from 6.7 to 2.5 (p=0.001) in group 2. 90% of patients of Group 1 and 50% of group 2 showed improvement in their modified Nurick criteria.
Conclusions: Patients in both groups reported significant improvement in cervical pain and radiculopthy after TCDR. High competitive sportsmen patients were more likely to improve and return to their activities.
Patient Care: Neurosurgeons will identify an effective solution for cervical herniated disc in athletes
Learning Objectives: Describe the importance of TCDR in young athletes
Identify an effective solution for cervical herniated disc in athletes