title: Minimally invasive posterior cervical arthrodesis and fixation.
abstract: This article describes the use of minimally invasive posterior cervical arthrodesis and internal fixation for the subaxial cervical spine. Such systems vary by the angulation of their screws and in the degree of the constraint placed at the screw-rod interface. The polyaxial tulip or islet connectors of the screws are able to angle medially, laterally, and straight, with varying degrees of rotational freedom in each direction, thus making segmental fixation more easily achievable from a top-loading approach and allowing for the possibility of minimally invasive posterior cervical fixation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California-Los Angeles, 1245 16th Street, PO Box 957036, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7036, USA. nsehati@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Nouzhan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sehati
authors.forename: Larry T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Khoo
mesh_terms: D001174:Arthrodesis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D016268:Internal Fixators; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000601:surgery*