Clinical Outcome Results of Stand Alone Anchored Spacer for Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

Background Data: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) became the classic operation in treating degenerative cervical spondylosis. The application of anterior cervical plate helped fusion and stabilization; however, there were many reports of the complications, such as dysphagia and the possibility of adjacent segment degeneration that may develop after anterior cervical approach. Purpose: The aim of this study is to assess the outcome of the standalone anchoredcervical spacers in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Study Design: This is a retrospective study included 30 patients suffering from degenerative cervical disc disease. The outcome measures were: the visual analoguescore, Cobb’s angles for sagittal and segmental alignment, the Japanese orthopedic association score, Nurick score for myelopathic patients and the occurrence of postoperative dysphagia.Patients and Methods: 30 patients were included in this study. All these patients had an anterior approach for cervical discectomy. A standalone anchored cervical spacer was used for this purpose. All patients were regularly assessed through the follow up period of two years post surgical intervention. Results: The study included 30 patients, 22 patients had single level, and 8 patients had two levels cervical discectomy. Postoperative improvement of radicular painVAS were statistically significant (9.0 to 1.67) as well as the improvement in Cobb’s angle (1.39±5.69 to 6.78±3.83) were statistically significant (P=0.001). Postoperative improvement in the JOA Score was significant (7.12 to 14.65). Nurick score for myelopathy improvement was statistically significant (2.6 to 0.83). Postoperative improvement in the fused levels’ height was statistically significant (p=0.001) Conclusion: Stand-alone anchored spacer has a good result regarding relief of symptoms, fusion, and is simple to insert with less post-operative dysphagia. (2018ESJ156)