Artificial Disc Replacement in Beverly Hills, CA

If you live in Beverly Hills and have been told you need a fusion for your neck or low back, here is something most patients are not told: for select single-level cases, the entire procedure can be done as an outpatient — and it can be done in Beverly Hills. Dr. Kambiz Hannani holds surgical privileges at the Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills (ASC of Beverly Hills), an outpatient ambulatory surgery center where eligible artificial disc replacement candidates can have their procedure performed locally and go home the same day. No drive across town to a large hospital. No overnight stay if your case does not require one.

Many of the Beverly Hills patients we see arrive having already done their homework — second opinions from Cedars-Sinai, UCLA, sometimes the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. They have read about adjacent segment disease. They know that a fusion locks the spine permanently and that an artificial disc preserves motion. The question they actually want answered is not what the options are — they want a board-certified spine surgeon who will sit down with their MRI, talk through the trade-offs honestly, and give them a recommendation that is not preset by a sales target.

Dr. Hannani's primary office is in West Covina — about 30 miles east of Beverly Hills, roughly a 45- to 60-minute drive on the 10 East — and the consultation happens there. The surgery itself, if you turn out to be an outpatient ADR candidate, is performed at ASC of Beverly Hills so you stay close to home on the day that matters most.

What is Artificial Disc Replacement?

Between every two vertebrae in your spine sits a disc — a soft, shock-absorbing cushion that lets your spine bend, twist, and absorb load. When a disc wears out, dries out, or herniates, the result is often pain, nerve compression, weakness, and stiffness. The traditional surgical answer has been spinal fusion: remove the bad disc and bolt the two vertebrae together so they move as one. Fusion works, but it eliminates motion at that level, which can place extra stress on the levels above and below over the following years.

Artificial disc replacement is the alternative. The damaged disc is removed and replaced with an FDA-approved mechanical implant — typically a metal-and-polyethylene device — that preserves the natural motion of the spine. The patient keeps the ability to bend and rotate at that level, and the surrounding discs are spared the extra wear-and-tear they would absorb after a fusion.

ADR vs. Spinal Fusion: The Real Difference

For the right patient, ADR offers meaningful advantages over fusion:

• Motion is preserved. The treated level still bends and rotates, which feels more natural and reduces the risk of adjacent segment disease — the long-term breakdown of the discs above and below a fusion.

• Faster return to normal activity. There is no waiting for bones to fuse together. Many patients are walking the same day and back to desk work within 2 to 4 weeks.

• No bone graft harvest. Fusion often requires harvesting bone from the hip; ADR does not.

• Lower long-term re-operation risk at adjacent levels. Multiple long-term studies (5 and 10 years) now show ADR patients are less likely to need a second surgery at a neighboring disc compared with fusion patients.

Fusion still has its place — particularly for patients with significant instability, prior failed surgery, or severe arthritis at the facet joints. The right operation is the one that fits your spine, and that determination requires a careful in-person evaluation with imaging.

Why Beverly Hills Patients Choose Dr. Hannani for Disc Replacement

Beverly Hills is one of the most medically saturated zip codes in the country. Patients in the Flats, Trousdale Estates, the Beverly Hills Post Office area, Mulholland Estates, Bel Air, Holmby Hills, and Beverly Glen have access to virtually any spine surgeon in Los Angeles. The reason patients in this area come to Dr. Hannani is not novelty — it is the combination of three things: 20-plus years performing both cervical and lumbar disc replacement, board certification with a UCLA orthopedic training pedigree, and a consultation style that does not feel like a pitch.

A sophisticated patient population that researches credentials carefully tends to notice the same thing: surgeons who do many things well are rarer than surgeons who upsell whatever they do most. Dr. Hannani's practice is built on the opposite philosophy — conservative care first, the right operation only when it is the right operation. If your imaging shows you are a fusion candidate and not an ADR candidate, you will be told that directly. Premium care, in this practice, means a careful answer — not an aggressive plan.

Where Surgery is Performed for Beverly Hills Patients

Outpatient single-level disc replacement candidates can have their procedure performed at the Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills — an ambulatory surgery center designed specifically for same-day discharge cases. For an eligible cervical ADR patient, that means arriving in the morning, having the procedure, and being home in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, or Holmby Hills by that evening.

More complex or inpatient cases — multi-level fusions, complex revisions, or cases requiring an overnight or multi-day stay — are coordinated at one of Dr. Hannani's other hospital locations where the appropriate inpatient resources and ICU support are available. ASC of Beverly Hills is an outpatient facility, and we are honest about which cases belong there and which do not. Lumbar disc replacement specifically, because it is performed through an anterior abdominal approach and typically requires a 1- to 2-night stay, is generally not an outpatient ASC case.

A Patient Story

A 52-year-old entertainment industry executive from the Beverly Hills Flats came to us last year with a year of progressive right arm pain, numbness in her thumb and index finger, and a herniated C5-C6 disc on MRI. She had already been told by another well-known practice that she needed a two-level cervical fusion. On careful review of her imaging the C6-C7 level was degenerated but was not the actual source of her symptoms — and she had preserved disc height and no facet arthritis at C5-C6. She underwent a single-level cervical disc replacement at the Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills, was home in the Flats by dinnertime, was off narcotic pain medication within four days, and was back at the studio the following Monday. Three years later her motion is preserved and the second level remains stable.

Who is a Candidate for Artificial Disc Replacement?

Not every patient with disc pain is a candidate for ADR. The best candidates generally:

• Have pain originating from a single damaged disc (or two adjacent discs)

• Have failed at least 6 weeks of non-surgical treatment (physical therapy, medications, injections)

• Do not have severe arthritis at the small joints behind the disc (facet joints)

• Do not have significant osteoporosis

• Have not had a prior fusion at the same level

• Are typically between 18 and 60 years old, though older healthy patients can sometimes qualify

A thorough work-up — including current MRI, dynamic X-rays, and a physical examination — is the only way to know for sure. Patients who are not ADR candidates are not stuck: there are excellent fusion, decompression, and minimally invasive endoscopic options available.

What Recovery Looks Like

Cervical ADR patients done as outpatient at ASC of Beverly Hills are typically walking within an hour of recovery, eating dinner that night at home, and off narcotic pain medication within a week. Most return to a desk job within 2 to 4 weeks and to driving within 2 weeks. Heavy labor and contact sports are restricted for about 3 months.

Lumbar ADR recovery is slightly longer because of the abdominal approach. Patients typically stay 1 to 2 nights in the hospital, walk the next morning, and return to light activity in 4 to 6 weeks. This procedure is generally coordinated at one of Dr. Hannani's hospital locations rather than at ASC of Beverly Hills.

Frequently Asked Questions from Beverly Hills Patients

Where exactly is the surgery performed? For eligible outpatient cases — most single-level cervical disc replacements in healthy patients — the procedure is performed at the Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills, where Dr. Hannani holds surgical privileges. For inpatient cases (multi-level fusion, lumbar ADR, complex revisions), surgery is coordinated at one of his other hospital locations where overnight care is available. Which facility is right for you depends on your specific anatomy and case complexity, and that decision is made together at the consultation.

Will my insurance cover this if I am in a Beverly Hills network — Cedars-Sinai, UCLA Health, or a private PPO? We accept most major California PPO plans, Medicare, and a number of premium private plans common in Beverly Hills. Cervical disc replacement is now a covered benefit on the majority of these plans when medical necessity is documented. Some Beverly Hills patients elect to pay out of pocket for scheduling flexibility or for an out-of-network surgeon — we are transparent about those options. Our office handles pre-authorization and will give you a clear cost estimate before you commit.

Do you offer concierge or extended private consultations? Dr. Hannani's standard new-patient consultation is unhurried by design — he does not run a high-volume conveyor belt practice. We do not formally market a separate concierge tier, and we do not need to: every consultation is given the time it requires to actually answer your questions. If you have specific scheduling needs (early morning, end of day, accompanied by a spouse or family physician), call the office and we will accommodate.

I was told I need a two-level fusion. Is two-level ADR ever appropriate instead? Sometimes. Two-level cervical disc replacement is FDA-approved and is the right operation for selected patients. The only way to know is a careful imaging review — bring your MRI on disc to the consultation and Dr. Hannani will give you an honest assessment.

How do I schedule a consultation? Call our office at 626-939-5900 or visit our contact page. Bring any prior MRI or X-ray imaging on disc if you have it — this lets Dr. Hannani give you a meaningful opinion at the first visit.