Neck-surgery review finds different results for pain, disability and safety
For degeneration at a single cervical level, cage fusion had better pain scores than disc replacement, while several other outcomes showed no statistically significant differences.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
In this pooled comparison, cage fusion had more favorable neck and arm pain scores, quality-of-life scores and surgical measures than disc replacement. Reoperation, adverse events and degeneration next to the treated level did not differ significantly. Those uncertain results do not establish equal safety or identify the best operation for an individual.
The abstract does not report participant totals, follow-up lengths or pain-scale ranges, limiting assessment of the differences' size and practical importance.
What researchers found
Neck-pain scores: weighted mean difference
Disc replacement versus cage fusion at final follow-up; visual analog scale scores were higher with replacement.
What was compared
The review focused on surgery for degeneration at a single cervical level. Disc replacement took longer and involved more blood loss than cage fusion, while pain and quality-of-life scores also favored fusion.
Where results were uncertain
Neck disability, cervical curvature, repeat surgery, adverse events and adjacent-segment degeneration showed no statistically significant differences. This does not demonstrate equivalence: the abstract does not provide the estimates needed to judge how much uncertainty remains.
The original publication
Cervical disc replacement versus anterior cervical discectomy and fusion using stand-alone cage for degenerative cervical spondylosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis based on randomized controlled trials.
Zhang Y, Ju J, Wu J
Neurosurg Rev · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41258494
- Record checked
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