STUDY DESIGN Prospective study. OBJECTIVE Because single-level disk arthroplasty or arthrodesis in the lower subaxial spine improves headaches after surgery, we studied whether this effect may be better appreciated after two-level arthroplasty. METHODS We performed an independent post hoc analysis of two concurrent prospective randomized investigational device exemption trials for cervical ...

Few reports are available on the posterior transfacet approach for the treatment of central calcified thoracic disk herniation (TDH). The objective of this study was to assess outcomes and complications in a consecutive series of patients with TDH who underwent posterior transfacet decompression and diskectomy with segmental instrumentation and fusion. The data for 27 patients (16 males and 11 ...

Forty-eight patients had 50 extraforaminal disk herniations (EFDHs) demonstrated on CT and/or MR by (1) presence of disk density or disk signal material lateral to the neural foramen, (2) displacement or obliteration of paravertebral fat, and (3) nerve root or ganglion compression or displacement. Forty-one of 50 EFDHs had a coexisting intraforaminal component; nine of 50 had an isolated far la...

BACKGROUND Sagittal alignment of the cervical spine has received increased attention in the literature as an important determinant of clinical outcomes after anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion. Surgeons use parallel or lordotically fashioned grafts depending on preference or simple availability. OBJECTIVE To quantitatively assess and compare cervical sagittal alignment and clinical outco...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to verify the usefulness of autograft versus allograft in the radiographic and clinical outcome in early period after the surgery. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of 38 patients who had undergone one- or two-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with rigid anterior plate fixation from March 2006 to May 2009. Interbody graft mat...

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective database review. OBJECTIVES After the Food and Drug Administration approved bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP) in 2002, BMP was used off-label in the cervical spine to increase bone growth and bony fusion. Since then, concerns have been raised regarding complication rates and safety. This study was conducted to examine the use of BMP in anterior cervical discectomy ...

BACKGROUND The optimal surgical approach for treatment of multi-level cervical disc disease is currently widely debated. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) combined with cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) has been presented as a treatment approach, but to date, there are few reports with adequate clinical and radiological data for this hybrid surgical procedure. The goal of this paper...

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a safe and effective procedure for degenerative cervical spinal disease unresponsive to conservative management and its outstanding results have been reported. To increase fusion rates and decrease complications, numerous graft materials, cage, anterior plating and total disc replacement have been developed, and better results were reported from...

STUDY DESIGN Cost-effectiveness analysis with retrospective cost analysis and literature review. OBJECTIVE To determine the relative cost-effectiveness of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with autograft, allograft, and allograft with plating for single-level anterior cervical spondylosis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA There are several accepted methods of surgically treating sing...

STUDY DESIGN  Systematic review. CLINICAL QUESTION  Do the rates and timing of adjacent segment disease (ASD) differ between cervical total disc arthroplasty (C-ADR) and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in patients treated for cervical degenerative disc disease? METHODS  A systematic search of MEDLINE/PubMed and bibliographies of key articles was done to identify studies with ...