Yup, that would be ACDF. It is one of my favorite spine operations because patients do so well. Even though your disease sounds severe, the surgery should be relatively straight forward. And if you have mainly pain in your arms/legs but no true weaknessand or bowel/bladder problems, then you will likely have significant relief immediate post operatively. The pain is minimal from the surgery because the approach to the cerival spine from the front requires no muscle dissection. That is why the surgery is clean and fast. You will have sore throat and may be hoarse because of the retraction involved, but rarely do patients require alot of narcotics afterwards. The only time this surgery can be difficult is if corpectomy (removal of partial or entire vetebral body rather than just the disc) is needed. But it doesn't sound like the case.
As for the artificial disc, unfortunately it is falling out of favor. Although the idea seemed good, the technology is just not quite there yet to simulate all the propertieis of a real disc. Furthermore, people don't really advocate putting something like this in patients with more than one level of disease. Another thing to consider is that if something ever goes wrong, those things are a pain to take out (and don't forget sometimes dangerous). For now, the standard discectomy and fusion with cadaver bone graft remains the best choice and most effective surgery in most patients. This of course is only my opinion. Actually, its the opinion of most neurosurgeons, including the giants in the field (Fessler, Benzil, Foley, Schaffrey, etc).
Back surgery on the other hand is alot more painful, and are often ineffective at taking care of chronic back pain. But that's another subject in itself.
Anyway, enough from me. I am happy to look at your MRI if you wish.
Lewis
It's "Anterior cervical disc surgery"
Everything is set. My Neurosurgeon is Dr. Ronald Rich 
in Santa Monica,Calif. The procedure will be preformed at St. Johns, Tuesday morning. I report there @ 5am. Surgery is expected to take 4-5 hrs. I'm trying to get my friend (an RPT) in the OR, to VT the procedure.
I've got a real mess. "Severe canal stenosis and severe foramen stenosis associated with prominent left foraminal disc extrusion of 15 - 17mm (those numbers are huge), severely narrowing the left neural foramen and severely narrowing the spinal canal left of midline"...
I have the MRI on disc, if you'd like a copy, let me know.
Regards,
Tommy
