ABSTRACT

Objective: Cervical vertigo (CV) is commonly observed in cervical degenerative disc disease (CDDD) but is often overlooked. The current study aimed to investigate the efficacy of cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) in CV for single-level CDDD.

Materials and Methods: Between 2014 and 2021, we retrospectively analyzed patients with chronic neck and arm pain due to single-level CDDD on CV. All patients with CV underwent a detailed diagnostic work-up to investigate the cause of vertigo, and patients with vertigo due to etiologies other than CDDD were excluded. CV was analyzed preoperatively and postoperatively using the CV evaluation scale (CVES); higher CVES scores reflected fewer vertigo complaints. The intensity of dizziness and neck pain was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS).

Results: A total of 50 patients who had CDDD with CV and underwent CDA were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 48±8 years, and 58% were female. The vertigo and neck pain VAS scores significantly decreased 3 months postoperatively (6-4.6) and at the last follow-up period (3.8-3.0) compared with preoperatively (6.8-5.6) (p<0.001). CVES scores showed a significant increase 3 months postoperatively (22.8) and at the last follow-up period (23.4) compared with preoperatively (16.2) (p<0.001). The clinical scores showed more improvement in the upper cervical region than in the lower cervical region (p<0.001).

Conclusion: CDDD single-level CDA is more effective in relieving cervicogenic dizziness symptoms at higher levels than at lower levels.