Pre and Postoperative Complication of Anterior Cervical Decompression and Interbody Fusion by Stand Alone Anchored Spacer in Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease

ABSTRACT

Background: The anterior cervical decimpression and fusion (ACDF) surgery was first described by Smith and Robinson and Cloward RB in the 1950s. This procedure has since become the standard for treating degenerative cervical disc disease. Material & Methods: This Prospective Quasi-Experimental Study was conducted at the department of National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) and Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh. The study was conducted during the period of 06 May 2019 to 05 May 2020 and 24 Patients were included by non-randomized purposive sampling according to the availability of the patient and strictly considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The analysis was done by SPSS 20.0 for windows software. Results: The age range of patients was 32 to 68 years, with a mean age of 51.67 (±11.15) and male-female ratio was 111. Occupation of the subjects demonstrates that service holder comprised the main bulk 8 (33.3%). Other occupants were farmer 6 (25.0%), businessman 4 (16.7%), driver 2 (8.3%), house wife 2 (8.3%) & manual labour 2 (8.3%). 4 (16.7%) patients had per-operative hemorrhage. There were no dural injuries or recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. It was observed that 4 (16.7%) patients developed dysphagia, 2 (8.3%) patient had infection and 6 (25%) patients had neck pain. There was no temporay hoarseness or respiratory problems. Conclusion: The study shows that the anterior cervical decompression and interbody fusion by stand-alone anchored spacer are relatively easy, safe and an effective procedure for patients with cervical degenerative disc disease with good neurological and radiological outcome. It provides immediate stability to the affected area, reduces the risk of graft extrusion, avoids the need for extended post-operative external immobilization, and significantly shortens the rehabilitation period.