Spine Surgery: Cervical Disc Replacement Performed at Phelps

February 9, 2008

An innovative spinal reconstruction surgery recently approved by the FDA was performed yesterday at Phelps Memorial Hospital on a Westchester woman during an emergency procedure. The procedure, which involved the implantation of an artificial cervical disc in the woman's neck, is the latest development in spinal reconstruction for the treatment of degenerative disc disease. It is an option for patients wishing to avoid spinal fusion surgery, which can diminish range of motion and may lead to subsequent surgeries.

In this case, the patient, who is in her 40s, had undergone a classical disc removal and spinal fusion surgery in 2004, which alleviated her condition for a few years. However, as sometimes happens with this type of surgery, the discs adjacent to the fused segment broke down. The woman's spinal cord had become so severely compressed by the herniated discs that at the time of surgery she was in severe pain and had lost nerve function in the arm and leg on one side of her body. Following the surgery, she immediately regained motion of her neck and use of her arm and leg, and returned home in just three days.

According to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Peress, who performed the surgery, this is the greatest advance in over a decade for patients with conditions such as these. Dr. Peress has been on Phelps' staff since 1987, and for the past 20 years has been performing complex spine surgeries that are typically seen only in major university teaching hospitals. He has been performing artificial lumbar disc replacements for lower back disorders at Phelps since 2005.

The Section of Spine Surgery at Phelps Hospital offers a wide array of operative and non-operative treatment options for patients with spinal disorders, as well as advanced pain management techniques through the Pain Injection Clinic.

For more information on spine surgery at Phelps, call 914-366-3367.

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