Spondylolisthesis adjacent to a cervical disc arthroplasty does not increase the risk of adjacent level degeneration

• Published in: European spine journal 2018-06, Vol.27 (6), p.1440-1446
• Main Authors: Kieser, David Christopher, Cawley, Derek Thomas, Roscop, Cecile, Mazas, Simon, Coudert, Pierre, Boissiere, Louis, Obeid, Ibrahim, Vital, Jean-Marc, Pointillart, Vincent, Gille, Olivier
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arthroplasty; Arthroplasty - adverse effects; Arthroplasty - statistics & numerical data; Cervical Vertebrae - surgery; Degeneration; Humans; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration - epidemiology; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration - surgery; Intervertebral discs; Joint surgery; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neurosurgery; Original Article; Pain; Retrospective Studies; Skull; Spondylolisthesis; Spondylolisthesis - epidemiology; Surgical Orthopedics; Vertebrae
• ISSN: 0940-6719; 1432-0932
• DOI: 10.1007/s00586-018-5574-4

Purpose To understand whether a spondylolisthesis in the sub-axial spine cranial to a cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) construes a risk of adjacent level disease (ALD). Methods A retrospective review of 164 patients with a minimum 5-year follow-up of a cervical disc arthroplasty was performed. Multi-level surgeries, including hybrid procedures, were included. Multiple implant types were included. The two inter-vertebral discs (IVD) cranial of the CDA were monitored for evidence of radiologic degeneration using the Kettler criteria. Results The rate of ALD in CDA found in this series was 17.8%, with most affecting the immediately adjacent IVD (27.4 and 7.6%, respectively p  = 0.000). Pre-operative mild spondylolisthesis adjacent to a planned CDA was not found to be a risk factor for ALD within 5 years. Those with a degenerative spondylolisthesis are at higher risk of ALD (33%) than those with a non-degenerative cause for their spondylolisthesis (11%). Post-operative CDA alignment, ROM or induced spondylolisthesis do not affect the rate of ALD in those with an adjacent spondylolisthesis. Patients with ALD experience significantly worse 5-year pain and functional outcomes than those unaffected by ALD. Conclusions A pre-operatively identified mild spondylolisthesis in the sub-axial spine cranially adjacent to a planned CDA is not a risk factor for ALD within 5 years. Graphical abstract These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.