title: Treatment of cervical pseudarthrosis after Smith-Robinson procedure with Halifax clamp fixation.
abstract: Treatment of pseudarthrosis of the cervical spine has been debated extensively with various solutions being proposed. This article reviews 18 cases of pseudarthrosis after attempted anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with tricortical iliac crest autograft using the Smith-Robinson method. All cases were subsequently treated with posterior fusion using cancellous iliac autograft and fixation with Halifax clamps. All cases showed radiographic union at the 6-month follow-up. There were no complications related to the application of the device. One device showed loss of fixation in the follow-up period. The Halifax clamp is technically simple to apply and can be done safely. High success rates in obtaining fusion after failed anterior discectomy and fusion in the cervical spine and ease of application make this method of posterior fixation and fusion an attractive alternative for dealing with pseudarthrosis.
authors.affiliation: South Texas Orthopaedic & Spinal Surgery Associates, 9150 Huebner Road, Suite 350, San Antonio, TX 78240, USA. marissaf@spinetex.com
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Toohey
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stromberg
authors.forename: Arvo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neidre
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramsey
authors.forename: Guy R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Fogel
mesh_terms: D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D011542:Pseudarthrosis / Q000601:surgery*; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods