Patient Preference and Adherence (Nov 2021)
Semi-Elective Cervical Disc Replacements for Cervical Myelopathy: A Qualitative Study
Abstract
Simon D Taylor-Robinson,1 Guglielmo Trovato2 1Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK; 2Department of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, ItalyCorrespondence: Simon D Taylor-RobinsonDepartment of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, South Wharf Street, London, W2 !NY, UKEmail [email protected]: Cervical disc prolapse can be accompanied by severe pain, numbness, paraesthesiae and muscle weakness. The choice lies between a conservative approach with physiotherapy and pain modulating drugs, such as gabapentin, or a more active surgical approach, ranging from nerve decompression through vertebral foraminotomy through to cervical disc replacement. We relate the experience of a medically qualified patient in having disc prolapse at three cervical levels and what it was like to experience a lonely and difficult post-surgical recovery. Despite this, the patient would still choose active surgical decompression over a non-interventional approach. The reasons for this are discussed from the patient perspective, of which there is little directly in the medical literature.Keywords: chronic pain, neurosurgery, operative choices, cervical disc prolapse
