Adjacent segment degeneration and disease following cervical arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) has been the gold standard for the relief of symptoms associated with cervical degenerative disc disease. However, consequent to the fusion resulting in cervical immobilization, many complications, including adjacent segment degeneration and disease, have been identified (1-3). Unlike ACDF, cervical arthroplasty preserves motion at both the index and adjacent disc levels and as such, potentially minimizes adjacent segment degeneration and disease.