@gently A spine surgeon needs to make that call, but I do know that artificial discs have limits for acceptable use. Instability can disqualify them. I read about clinic trials for ADR before my spine surgery, and 4mm of displacement disqualified them. Arthritis at facet joints may be another. Bone quality matters when you depend on screws to hold an implant in place. Sometimes an artificial disc is done with a laminectomy. If the decompression surgery you mention is a laminectomy or bone removal to create space, the other factors about if ADR is right for the patient would apply.

When I was choosing between ADR and cervical fusion, I had concerns about foreign materials in my body because I had so many problems after having pierced ears with reactions to metals. Fusion gave me the choice to go totally natural with only a bone graft and no spine hardware because I agreed to stay in a neck brace for 3 months. I knew that C5/C6 would not affect head turning much if any, and that is the same before and after my surgery.

My hunch was right about my allergies and immune reactions. When I broke my ankle, I got titanium plates on my ankle and 6 months later, I had hives nonstop and had to stay on antihistamines. I had pain, throbbing and skin discoloration and I had the hardware removed later. Another risk with ADR is the body can grow bone around it trying to stabilize it essentially trying to fuse and stop the movement.

Have you read information on clinical trials before? You can gain a lot of insight in knowing what the disqualifications are for a procedure.
I think you’ll find it at clinicaltrials.gov