[drewrad]

Sorry you're going through this. It's cool to see you take up your wife's case. Most people here are digging into research themselves.

As far as ADR versus fusion, everyone is different. Look at the entire neck. Some people can withstand one or more fusions. Others cannot. If the adjacent discs are healthy enough and can withstand a fusion, then it may be a decent way to go. If the adjacent discs are also next to worn out, then ADR may be more suitable, as more strain will be applied to those adjacent levels as now more are being asked of them.

In the US fusion is termed 'the gold standard', but not in Europe. In Europe it is considered directionally retrograde(not in all cases as I'm a hybrid).

I had multilevel lumbar degeneration. My discs were all shot, torn and compromised. Regardless, due to my sacral slope being too steep, an L5/S1 fusion was chosen at that level with two M6s placed above it. So far I'm happy with the decision since there is a strong base at the pelvic floor to support the new motion above, and in turn, a better introduction of vertebrae to vertebrae on my higher up discs, a more correct angle of introduction. Basically my L2/3 is more centered now as a result of the work on the lower three underneath.