Systematic Reviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Nov 6, 2020; 8(21): 5284-5295
Published online Nov 6, 2020. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i21.5284
Anterior bone loss after cervical disc replacement: A systematic review
Xiao-Fei Wang, Yang Meng, Hao Liu, Ying Hong, Bei-Yu Wang
Xiao-Fei Wang, Yang Meng, Hao Liu, Bei-Yu Wang, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Ying Hong, Department of Anesthesia and Operation Center/West China School of Nursing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Liu H designed the research; Wang XF and Meng Y performed the research; Wang XF and Meng Y analyzed the data; Wang XF wrote the paper; Liu H, Wang BY and Hong Y supervised the paper; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by West China Nursing Discipline Development Special Fund Project, Sichuan University, No. HXHL19016; and 1.3.5 Project for Disciplines of Excellence, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. ZYJC18029.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare they have no conflict of interest.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hao Liu, MD, PhD, Professor, Surgeon, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Xiang, Wuhou District, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. dr.liuhao6304@yahoo.com
Received: May 6, 2020
Peer-review started: May 6, 2020
First decision: August 23, 2020
Revised: September 5, 2020
Accepted: September 16, 2020
Article in press: September 16, 2020
Published online: November 6, 2020
Core Tip

Core Tip: Anterior bone loss (ABL) is a common condition after cervical disc replacement. Several studies have reported the clinical characteristics of ABL; however, it remains unclear whether this phenomenon is a radiological anomaly or a complication. In this review, we found that the prevalence of ABL after cervical disc replacement was related to the type of implant. ABL should be considered a complication after cervical disc replacement as it was associated with neck pain, implant subsidence, and heterotopic ossification. Fortunately, ABL did not progress after 12 mo postoperatively, and some cases showed a self-healing phenomenon. The underlying mechanisms of ABL may include stress concentration and injury to nutrient vessels.