effect of cervical plating on multiple - level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted on 20 patients who had cervical plates and 20 had fusion without plates. There were no significant differences preoperatively among patients treated with or without plates. At the final follow-up ranged from 18 to 48 months [average 22 months], the pseudo-arthrosis rates were 5% in patients with plating and 15% in patients without plating. There was no correlation between pseudo- arthrosis and age, sex or level of surgery. The average loss of the gained intraoperative correction of cervical lordosis was 0.5 in the instrumented group compared with 1.3 in the patients without plates. The amount of graft collapse in the patients with plates was 0.8 mm compared with 1.6 mm in the patients without plates, the difference was significant. Accelerated degenerative changes at levels adjacent to fusion were seen in 20% of patients with plating compared with 15% in patients without plating. The overall result was excellent to good in 90% of the patients with plating compared with 80% in the group without plating based on Odom's criteria