A Medical Device Daily

Medtronic's Spinal and Biologic Division (Memphis, Tennessee) said that it received FDA approval to market the Bryan cervical disc system for the treatment of single-level cervical disc disease (radiculopathy and/or myelopathy). In July 2007, Medtronic's Prestige cervical disc was the first artificial cervical disc to be approved by the FDA. With the Bryan and Prestige discs, Medtronic claims to offer a diverse portfolio of artificial cervical discs that address varying philosophies among spine surgeons about optimal implant materials, fixation methods, surgical techniques, and other unique design features.

The Bryan disc is a titanium-polyurethane prosthetic device that is inserted between the vertebrae to replace the natural spinal disc. It is designed to maintain range of motion in the neck which the potential alternative anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) does not. With the ACDF, the diseased disc is removed and the empty space is fused using a bone graft with a plate and bone screws which eliminates the range of motion in the operated segment of the neck. The Bryan disc is designed to allow for motion of the cervical spine (neck) including flexion/extension (forward-backward rotation), lateral bending (side-to-side rotation), axial rotation (looking left and right) as well as translation (gliding).