Published online Aug 18, 2020. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v11.i8.345
Peer-review started: April 3, 2020
First decision: April 22, 2020
Revised: May 23, 2020
Accepted: July 19, 2020
Article in press: July 19, 2020
Published online: August 18, 2020
Processing time: 132 Days and 11.2 Hours
Core tip: Although all artificial discs are intended to achieve the same aims, there is considerable heterogeneity in the design of lumbar and cervical implants. The “second generation total disc replacements” are non-articulating viscoelastic implants aiming at the reconstruction of physiologic levels of shock absorption and flexural stiffness. This review aims to give an overview of the available implants. We herein discuss the new challenges concerning the choice of materials, the connection between the components of the internal structure and the metal endplates and even the bone anchoring mode. We discuss the consequences of the different technological choices and we emphasize the special features to watch out for when monitoring these implants in the future.