Two-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion using self-locking stand-alone XXXX cages with two anchoring clips placed in the upper and lower vertebrae, respectively.

@entity1 @entity12316 @entity179 @entity158 @entity717
BACKGROUND: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a widely accepted surgical procedure for the treatment of @entity179 ( @entity179 ). The purpose of our study was to investigate the reliability and efficacy of ACDF using self-locking stand-alone @entity12316 ( @entity12316 ) cages, with two anchoring clips placed in the upper and lower vertebrae, respectively. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty-six @entity1 who underwent ACDF using a stand-alone @entity12316 cage packed with local osteophytes and cancellous allograft bone from January 2010 to January 2012 were enrolled in this study. Clinical findings were assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, @entity717 ( @entity717 ), and Odom criteria. Intervertebral height and cervical fusion status were assessed on X-ray. RESULTS: Twenty-six @entity1 underwent ACDF using a stand-alone @entity12316 cervical cage. All @entity1 had a minimum 2  years of follow-up. The operative levels were C3/4, C4/5 in seven @entity1 , C4/5, C5/6 in 13 @entity1 , and C4/5, C6/7 in six @entity1 . At 3  days, 6  months, and 2  years of follow-ups, the JOA scores were 10.41      1.67, 13.78      1.91, 14.42      2.09, respectively, which was significantly higher (p  <  0.01) than preoperative (7.34      1.71), whereas VAS overall @entity158 score was 4.35      1.32, 1.73      0.44, 1.32      0.57, respectively, which was significantly lower (p  <  0.01) than preoperative (8.01      1.16). The @entity717 preoperatively was 33.94      11.75, 23.53      10.92 at 3  days postoperatively, 12.64      8.36 at 6  months, and 10.74      7.92 at 2  years of follow-ups. Intervertebral height was 5.99      0.31  mm preoperatively, 8.70      0.23  mm at 3  days, 8.34      0.61  mm at 6  months, and 8.22      0.35  mm at 2  years of follow-ups. According to Odom criteria, 10 @entity1 (38.4  %) presented with an excellent clinical outcome, 15 good (57.6  %), 1 fair (3.8  %), and no @entity1 presented a poor outcome. Solid fusion was achieved in all @entity1 (100  %) at a mean time of 4.5  months. CONCLUSION: ACDF using a self-locking stand-alone @entity12316 cage with two anchoring clips placed in the upper and lower vertebrae, respectively, could be considered a safe and effective substitute for fusion in @entity1 with two-level @entity179 ; it can effectively restore the intervertebral height, facilitate radiologic follow-up, cause few complications, and lead to satisfactory outcomes.
