Neurosurgery
Cervical Disc Prosthesis
In contrast to lumbar disc herniations cervical hernias are almost invariably treated from the front. The standard intervention is a complete resection of the disc and replacement with a graft, usually a carbon-like hollow implant that can be filled with bone graft or bone-substitute, leading to a fusion (cervical arthrodesis). The fixation of a moving segment in the cervical spine can however lead to abnormal overloading of the discs above or below the fixed segment. This can be avoided by implanting a movable prosthesis, e.g. the Bryan prosthesis.
This prosthesis named after its inventor Dr Bryan, has two 'metal' shells connected in the middle and an outer jacket, filled with water.
The device mimics the movement of the normal disc and preserves normal mobility.
