This surgery is done from the front of the neck to remove a herniated or a diseased disc that is pinching the nerves or spinal cord in the cervical spine. Usually, a spacer filled with bone graft material is implanted in the gap created after the removal of the disc. Sometimes, a metal plate is attached to the front of the spacer. After healing, the gap with the spacer heals with new bone that glues the two cervical vertebrae together.