title: Vertebral autograft used as bone transplant for anterior cervical corpectomy: technical note.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this prospective patient study, we used a surgical technique for autograft bone fusion during anterior cervical corpectomy (ACC) in patients experiencing cervical spondylotic myelopathy. We packed the resected bone material of the corpectomy into a titanium mesh cage. To evaluate the efficacy of our autograft technique, we analyzed the results according to neurological outcome, radiological outcome, and complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1995 and 1998, 27 ACC operations were performed for cervical spondylotic myelopathy caused by multisegmental cervical spondylosis. In all patients, decompression of the cervical canal and/or spinal nerve roots was performed by a median cervical corpectomy by an anterior approach. After the ACC was completed, a titanium mesh cage, which was variable in diameter and length, was filled with morselized and impacted bone material from the cervical corpectomy and was then implanted. An anterior cervical plate was placed in all patients to achieve primary stability of the cervical vertebral column. Age, sex, pre- and postoperative myelopathy, number of decompressed levels, radiological results, and complications were assessed. The severity of myelopathy was graded according to the scoring system of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Symptomatic improvement of neurological deficits was achieved in 80% of the patients. The mean preoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association score improved from 13.1 to 15.2 postoperatively (P < 0.05). No patient demonstrated worsening of myelopathic symptoms. Radiological follow-up studies demonstrated complete bony fusion in all patients. A vertical movement of 2.25 +/- 0.43 mm of the titanium cage into the adjacent vertebral bodies was observed in 24 patients. In patients with either a lordotic or neutral cervical spinal axis postoperatively, the axis remained unchanged during the entire follow-up period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study demonstrate that transplantation of autograft bone material harvested during the ACC integrated well in the cage and in the adjacent vertebral bodies. Thus, complications associated with explantation of autograft material from other donor sites, e.g., the iliac crest, could be avoided. The early postoperative and midterm follow-up periods provided no evidence of morphological or functional instability of the operated cervical segments when this autograft technique was used in combination with cervical instrumentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany. andreas.rieger@medizin.uni-halle.de
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rieger
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Holz
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Marx
authors.forename: Lhagva
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sanchin
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Menzel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011859:Radiography; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods*; D013128:Spinal Osteophytosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods; D014025:Titanium; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
chemical_list: D014025:Titanium