Guidance
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued full guidance to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on Prosthetic intervertebral disc replacement in the cervical spine.
It replaces the previous guidance on Prosthetic intervertebral disc replacement in the cervical spine (NICE interventional procedures guidance 143, November 2005).
Description
A number of devices have been developed for the cervical spine. Under general anaesthetic the patient is placed in the supine position. The anterior cervical spine is exposed, and after standard decompression of the neural elements, an artificial disc prosthesis is placed between the vertebrae.
This procedure can be used for patients with acute disc herniation or cervical spondylosis. In these conditions, nerve root or spinal cord compression may cause symptomatic radiculopathy or myelopathy.
Coding and clinical classification codes for this guidance.