Cervical Spine Stabilization

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory arthritis that typically affects multiple diarthrodial joints with varying degrees of systemic involvement and is one of the most common disabling diseases. The number of patients with RA in the USA has been estimated to be 2–2.4 million and 630–650,000 in the United Kingdom. A significant number of these patients will develop involvement of the cervical spine that requires attention. The prevalence of RA in adults over the age of 15 is approximately 1%, with a peak incidence occurring in the fourth through sixth decades of life.