Prosthetic intervertebral disc replacement in the cervical spine

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued full guidance to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on prosthetic intervertebral disc replacement in the cervical spine.

NICE has reviewed this guidance and is reassessing the procedure. New guidance will be published as a result.  Until the new guidance is published the NHS should continue to follow the recommendations in the guidance below.

The Interventional Procedures Advisory Committee (IPAC) will consider this procedure and NICE will issue an Interventional Procedures Consultation Document about its safety and efficacy for 4 weeks public consultation. IPAC will then review the consultation document in the light of comments received and produce a Final Interventional Procedures Document, which will be considered by NICE before guidance is issued to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

If you wish to be alerted to developments regarding this procedure, including the release of the consultation document, please express your interest at the top of the page.

A number of devices have been developed for the cervical spine. Under general anaesthetic the patient is placed in the supine position. The anterior cervical spine is exposed, and after standard decompression of the neural elements, an artificial disc prosthesis is placed between the vertebrae.

This procedure can be used for patients with acute disc herniation or cervical spondylosis. In these conditions, nerve root or spinal cord compression may cause symptomatic radiculopathy or myelopathy.

Other (see guidance)

Musculoskeletal
Surgical procedures

Trauma and orthopaedic surgery

• British Scoliosis Society
• British Association of Spinal Surgeons
• British Orthopaedic Association
• Society for Back Pain Research
• Society of British Neurological Surgeons
• Chartered Society of Physiotherapists
• British Chiropractic Association
• British Osteopathic Association

Interventional Procedures Programme
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
MidCity Place
71 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6NA