Cervical spinal metastasis: anterior reconstruction and stabilization techniques after tumor resection.
OBJECTIVE
In a review of the literature, the authors provide an overview of various techniques that have evolved for reconstruction and stabilization after resection for metastatic disease in the subaxial cervical spine.


METHODS
Reconstruction and stabilization of the cervical spine after vertebral body (VB) resection for metastatic tumor is an important goal in the surgical management of spinal metastasis. Generally, the VB defect is reconstructed with bone autograft or allograft, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), interbody spacers, and/or cages. In cases of PMMA-assisted reconstruction, internal devices are used to augment the fixation of PMMA. Stabilization is then achieved with anterior instrumentation, usually an anterior cervical locking plate. In some cases, posterior instrumentation may be necessary to supplement the anterior construct.


CONCLUSIONS
Anterior cervical corpectomy followed by reconstruction and stabilization is an effective strategy in the management of spinal metastases in patients.
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, USA.
James K
JK
Liu
Ronald I
RI
Apfelbaum
Bennie W
BW
Chiles
Meic H
MH
Schmidt
D001843:Bone Cements; D001860:Bone Plates; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D002516:Ceramics; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D016268:Internal Fixators; D008017:Life Expectancy; D010166:Palliative Care; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D014025:Titanium; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D001843:Bone Cements; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate; D014025:Titanium