Northern Westchester Hospital Offers New Artificial Cervical Disc Replacement Surgery
Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) in Mt. Kisco, NY, is now offering a new artificial disc replacement surgery using the Prestige® Cervical Disc, a stainless steel disc approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year. The device, manufactured by Medtronic Sofamor Danek, is the first-ever artificial cervical (neck) disc used for the treatment of cervical degenerative disc disease, one of the leading causes of neck and arm pain.
Each vertebra in the spine is separated by a shock absorbing disc, which has a high water content. As discs lose water content, or degenerate, because of disease, injury, or age, they compress or rupture. A ruptured disc fragment can cause pressure on the nerves or spinal cord. Additionally, with a narrowing of the space between vertebrae, there is less padding between them and the spine is relatively less stable. The body reacts to this by producing bone spurs that can also put pressure on the spinal nerves or spinal cord, resulting in pain and affecting nerve function.
According to Dr. Ezriel Kornel, director of the Institute for Neurosciences at Northern Westchester Hospital, cervical degenerative disc disease is very common. Artificial disc replacement surgery offers patients an alternative to anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF), more commonly known as spinal fusion surgery. Many patients have achieved excellent results with ACDF but can potentially experience loss of motion and flexibility in the treated vertebral segment. Artificial disc replacement is designed to maintain motion, potentially providing an advantage over traditional fusion surgery.
NWH currently has one of the most active spine surgery programs of any hospital in Westchester with over 275 spinal surgeries performed last year.
Dr. Kornel recently performed NWH's first cervical disc replacement using the new technology. The procedure was a success, with the patient reporting "complete 100 percent alleviation" of her symptoms, which had included numbness and tingling in the right hand and fingertips for more than a year.
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