A modified technique for anterior multilevel cervical fusion

Anterior cervical fusion with interbody bone graft and anterior plating is commonly performed. Unfortunately, the plate has been reported to shield the graft from loading, thus reducing fusion rates. Interbody fusion cages have been effective in the lumbar spine and have gained acceptance in the cer...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of orthopaedic science : official journal of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association 2002-05, Vol.7 (3), p.313-316
Main Authors: Hodges, Scott D., Humphreys, S. Craig, Eck, Jason C., Covington, Laurie A., Van Horn, Elizabeth R., Peterson, Joseph E.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Anterior plate
Biological and medical sciences
Cervical spine
Cervical Vertebrae - surgery
DOC plate
Female
Fusion
Humans
Interbody cage
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Orthopedic surgery
Pain
Pain Measurement
Prostheses and Implants
Spinal Fusion - methods
Surgery
Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Anterior cervical fusion with interbody bone graft and anterior plating is commonly performed. Unfortunately, the plate has been reported to shield the graft from loading, thus reducing fusion rates. Interbody fusion cages have been effective in the lumbar spine and have gained acceptance in the cervical spine. Twenty-five patients underwent anterior cervical fusion with this modified technique. All patients received anterior diskectomy and corpectomy, placement of an interbody fusion cage packed with corpectomy bone, and application of an anterior cervical plate. Fusion was defined by radiographic evidence of trabecular bone bridging through the cage. No external bracing was used except soft collars as needed. Pre- and postoperative pain scales were completed and statistically analyzed using paired t tests. There were no cases of pseudoarthrosis or major neurological, vascular, or wound complications. There was one case of mild dysphagia that remained unresolved. Mean operative time was comparable to standard instrumented multilevel cervical fusion surgeries. Visual analogue pain scales were significantly improved following surgery. The advantages of using interbody cages with anterior plating include immediate stability and support, elimination of donor site pain from iliac crest bone autograft, and a decrease in pseudoarthrosis by halving the number of fusion surfaces.
ISSN:0949-2658
1436-2023
DOI:10.1007/s007760200053