An anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, or ACDF, is a minimally invasive neurosurgical procedure to remove a damaged disc between the vertebrae in the neck to relieve nerve root pressure and alleviate pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling caused by pinched nerves in the neck.
This procedure can be performed at any level between vertebrae C3 and C7. During surgery, the damaged disc is removed, nerves at that level are decompressed, and a synthetic implant or bone graft is placed in the area where the disc was removed to grow with the vertebrae (fuse) and provide stability and strength for the neck.
You may be a candidate for an ACDF if you:
- Suffer from chronic pain in your neck and/or down your arms and/or if you have headaches
- Have spinal stenosis or narrowing in your neck that compresses your spinal cord and causes coordination problems in your hands (clumsy hands), numbness in the fingers, or affects your balance/ability to walk normally
- Experience sudden weakening of muscles in your arms from an acute disc herniation
- Have bone spurs in your neck caused by arthritis
What to Expect During ACDF Surgery
While you are under general anesthesia, your Valley neurosurgeon will make a 1- to 2-inch incision in the front of your neck and remove the degenerative disc between the vertebral bones. If you have bone spurs, these can be removed at the same time.
A replacement spacer made from a bone graft or a synthetic implant will be inserted into the area and fused with the surrounding vertebrae. Any metal used is MRI-compatible, so surgery does not interfere with your ability to have an MRI if needed in the future.
Many patients go home the same day of surgery. A few patients spend 23 hours in our specialized extended recovery unit and go home the following morning.
Recovering from ACDF Surgery
Most patients are out of bed the day after surgery, can return to basic self-care activities within several days, can start physical therapy within four weeks, and are released for full activity between six and 12 weeks after surgery.
You will see your neurosurgeon for regular follow-up appointments and have X-rays of the neck at regular intervals over the next two years.Imaging evidence of healing of the bone can occur within three months after surgery, but full healing can take up to 18 months to fuse into one solid bone.
Valley Health System participates in the NeuroPoint Alliance-American Spine Registry Quality Outcomes Database, which tracks all common neurosurgical spine procedures performed at Valley and at other Alliance sites. You may be asked to fill out surveys after your surgery to help us track your individual recovery in order to help us with our goal of improving all patient outcomes.
