title: Successful outcome of six-level cervicothoracic corpectomy and circumferential reconstruction: case report and review of literature on multilevel cervicothoracic corpectomy.
abstract: The authors report the successful outcome of a six-level corpectomy across the cervico-thoracic spine with circumferential reconstruction in a patient with extensive osteomyelitis of the cervical and upper thoracic spine. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a corpectomy extending across six levels of the cervico-thoracic spine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the authors recommend anterior cage and plate-assisted reconstruction and additional posterior instrumentation using modern spinal surgical techniques and implants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, 505 Parnassus Avenue, Moffitt Hospital M779, Box 0112, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. acostaf@neurosurg.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Frank L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.forename: Henry E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Aryan
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Ames
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D009984:Orthopedic Fixation Devices; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents