Hooch,

I can help you with the medical lingo, if you need it, but you should quiz the surgeons you see for your particular problems. I speak medical speak and others on here can too if you need help deciphering research papers.
Plus I have several research papers myself, my computer screen is full. My children and my husband make fun of me but the papers I need are right there, plus I have bookmarked several internet sites.
I know this task is daunting but you can figure out what is best for you.

I will give you an example from my experience. When I first learned that I had DDD and I wasn't getting any better and therefore would need surgery, I met with an orthopedic surgeon who told me if I had ADR, it would slip out and cut my aorta and I would die.

That was scary and this opinion was backed up by my rehab doctor and another one I spoke to in the same practice.
I had already begun researching fusion and ADR. This doctor was reluctant to do fusion and at first tried to talk me out of it. But when I said I was in terrible pain and could do hardly anything, he said he would do surgery. First, he would do an ALIF and then he changed his mind and suggested XLIF.

So by that time I knew a little about ADR and was intrigued about motion preservation along with the idea of reduced adjacent disc disease. So I asked him if he had ever put an ADR in and his answer was that he did in medical residency. How many? About two. Ever put in a ProDisc, "No, have not worked with ProDisc".
With questioning him and I didn't badger him, I just asked him calmly, I found out he did fusions and no ADR.

Then the biggie question was, "What is the chance of fusion helping me?" His answer was about 56%.
That answer floored me and another thing that bothered me was that he insisted after surgery that I get off all pain medicines within 30 days.

I went home researched his proposed surgery and the ProDisc and found the chance of the ProDisc slicing my aorta was just about nil. However, the Charite had done that in the first surgeries done.
So you can surmise those docs were going on their experience with one type of ADR.

Make a list of questions and I advise to make the list concise and concentrate on the most important questions you have and if the doctor does not want to answer your questions, run.

It is their job to inform you fully about your surgery. It is called informed consent and they need to give you the information. It might be through one of the office people who work with the doctor but I believe IMHO that the surgeon should address all your concerns.

Happy hunting,

R