Anterior cervical fixation following verteberctomy; experience with various bone grafts and locking plates

ABSTRACT

This work presented an experience in using various bone grafts [iliac crest, BOP graft and banked fibula] following anterior cervical vertebrectomy and fixation with plate. Fifty-two patients with different pathological problems that necessitated anterior cervical decompression, bone grafting and anterior plating were reported. Surgery involved 1 level in 35 patients and 2 levels in 10 patients, while 7 patients necessitated more than 2-level vertebrectomy. Iliac bone graft was used in 22 patients, BOP graft in 20 patients, while banked fibula was used in 10 patients. The technique and results were discussed in details with a review of the literature comparing the three types of grafts with plating. There were no failures in the iliac bone graft group, 3 failures in the BOP graft group and 1 failure in the banked fibula group