Early Catastrophic Failure of Cervical Disc Arthroplasty: A Case Report

A 47-year-old healthy man underwent cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) for a C6 radiculopathy. Two-week radiographs showed a well-positioned implant. At the 6-week postoperative visit, the inferior portion of the implant had displaced ventrally, with C6 anterior vertebral body collapse. The next day, the implant was removed and converted to a C5/6 anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Bone biopsy was unremarkable.

This is the first reported case of early catastrophic failure of a well-positioned CDA in a healthy patient with good bone quality. Possible contributing mechanisms include hypermobility and anterior bone loss, factors previously associated with CDA.