Artificial Cervical Disc Implantation

The cervical spine has discs between each bone that provide cushioning for movements and body loads. The discs and bones in a healthy neck allow bending from side-to-side and front-to-back, and turning left-to-right. Disc problems can start from over-use, an accident, or just the wear and tear of daily life. Degenerative changes in the discs may result in damage that can cause pain. When a disc degenerates it can have tears or cracks that lose water, which cause it to become thinner and provide less padding to absorb movement. Degenerated discs can also bulge (herniate) and pinch the spinal cord or nerves, which causes loss of feeling, weakness, pain, or tingling down the arms and hands.

The implantation of the Mobi-C artificial cervical disc is an option instead of traditional vertebrae-fusion that will also be placed inside the disc space to restore height and remove pressure on the pinched nerves. However, the Mobi-C device is designed to allow the neck to maintain normal motion and potentially prevent the adjacent levels from degenerating, possibly preventing future surgeries.

The Mobi-C Cervical Disc is one of the most widely used cervical discs in the world. First implanted in France in November 2004, Mobi-C has now been implanted in more than 40,000 spinal levels in 25 countries.

Mobi-C is made with two Cobalt Chromium alloy endplates that are plasma sprayed with titanium and coated with hydroxyapatite, and has an Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene plastic insert (UHMWPE). These are proven materials that have been used in orthopedic applications for over 60 years.

Who Are the Candidates for an Artificial Cervical Disc?

Mobi-C is intended for adult patients (skeletally mature) with arm pain and/or neurological symptoms (such as weakness or numbness) with or without neck pain at one or two adjacent levels from C3 – C7 in the cervical spine. Patients should have failed non-surgical care (such as physical therapy or medications) for at least 6 weeks, or shown signs of progressively worsening symptoms. Disc damage needs to be confirmed by a doctor’s review of CT, MRI, or x-ray images. A doctor should always be consulted for proper indications and use of Mobi-C.

How it Works

Mobi-C is designed to replicate the natural motion of the cervical spine. Its mobile core slides and rotates inside the disc, self-adjusting to the patient’s cervical spine’s movements. This means that Mobi-C can react to the normal motion in the cervical spine. In addition, the mobile core is designed to reduce the stresses between the implant and adjacent bone, eliminating the more invasive fixation features found in other cervical disc replacement devices.

There is limited damage to the patient’s bone because “chisel cuts” into the small vertebrae of the cervical spine are not needed in order to implant the Mobi-C, unlike what is performed with traditional cervical disc procedures. Traditional artificial discs achieve their fixation via keel cuts or screw holes into the bone. Mobi-C is designed without a keel to minimize bone removal.