Early Outcome of ACDF for Cervical Disc Herniation

Background: The gold standard for treating cervical spondylotic myelopathy and single or multi-segmental cervical spondylotic radiculopathy is ACDF, a safe and dependable procedure. However, as far as we are aware, there aren't many reports on using ACDF to treat cervical disc herniation. This study presents the outcomes of 50 cervical disc herniation patients who received ACDF treatment. Methodology: This descriptive study included 50 male and female patients, aged 20 to 80, who were admitted to Mardan Medical Complex in the Department of Neurosurgery, for the duration from May 2024 to November 2024. These patients had been undergoing Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) for cervical disc herniation. The same team of surgeons carried out every surgery. The Neck Disability Index (NDI), Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA), and visual analogue scale (VAS) were used to evaluate how well ACDF treated CDH illness. Three days, three months following surgery, as well as during the pre-surgery outpatient visit, the VAS, NDI, and JOA were assessed and analyzed. Results: Three days following surgery, all patients were able to move and take care of themselves, and their neck pain had significantly decreased. Three days post-surgery, the mean VAS score decreased from 7.3 ± 1.4 to 3.1 ± 1.2 (P < 0.001). The NDI scores changed in the same way.  Three days after surgery, the average NDI score went down from 43.6 ± 12.1 to 24.1 ± 7.2, and at the last follow-up, it went down to 16.2 ± 4.1.  The average JOA score was 6.9 ± 2.1 before surgery. Three days after surgery, it rose to 13.9 ± 1.1 (P < 0.001), and at the last follow-up, it was 15.4 ± 0.8, which was not substantially different from the score right after surgery. Conclusion: According to this investigation, ACDF helped with functional recovery, enhanced neurological function, and dramatically decreased discomfort. The therapy reduces severe symptoms and enhances quality of life, as evidenced by the high neurological recovery rate and notable VAS and NDI reductions.