The Spine Institute in California has done more PRODISC® artificial disc replacement (ADR) surgeries than any other institution in the US. What is it? The FDA Approved ProDisc™-C Total Disc Replacement is a device made from metal and plastic that is placed between two adjacent vertebral bodies (neck bones) to replace a diseased cervical disc. The ProDisc™-C Total Disc Replacement consists of three parts: 1. Two metal (cobalt-chrome alloy) endplates that are anchored to the top and bottom surfaces of the adjacent vertebral bodies 2. A plastic (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene or UHMWPE) inlay that fits between the two endplates How does it work? The plastic inlay and endplates are intended to restore the natural distance between the two vertebrae (disc height). The top (superior) endplate can slide over the domed part of the plastic inlay, which can allow movement at the level where it is implanted. When is it used? The ProDisc™-C Total Disc Replacement is intended to be used in skeletally mature patients (people who have stopped growing) for reconstruction of the disc from C3-C7 following removal of the disc at one level for intractable symptomatic cervical disc disease (SCDD), a condition that results from a diseased or bulging disc. What will it accomplish? The device is intended to stabilize the operated spinal level. Unlike a fusion procedure, the ProDisc™-C Total Disc Replacement is designed to allow motion at the operated spinal level. The effects of the …
