title: Clinical therapeutic effect of surgery on  upper cervical spinal cord tumors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the long-term clinical therapeutic effect of polyaxial screw-rod system for posterior cervical arthrodesis on patients with upper cervical spinal cord tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  From March 2007 to May 2013, 22 patients with upper cervical spinal cord tumors underwent tumor resection and posterior cervical arthrodesis in our institution. The medical records of these patients were reviewed respectively. There were 10 males and 12 females with ages ranging from 16 to 60 years old. Posterior cervical arthrodesis by polyaxial screw-rod was performed at the upper cervical spine (C1-3). All patients were followed-up clinically and radiographically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average follow-up was 65.5 months. Twenty-two patients were enrolled and a total of 114 screws were placed in this study. Histopathology revealed neurinoma, meningioma, ganglioneuroma and ganglioglioma in 16, 3, 1 and 1 case (s), respectively. The mixed tumor with component of ganglioneuroma and neurinoma was observed in 1 case. All patients received tumor resection and posterior athrodesis by polyaxial screw-rod system. Cervical kyphosis was encountered in one patient and this patient suffered the recurrence of tumor. Solid fusion was achieved in all patients. The average postoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score was 13.9 and the average recovery rate was 51.4%. Neurologic deterioration was found in 2 patients. No complications, such as spinal cord or vertebral artery injury, postoperative radiculopathy or instrumentation failure, were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The long-term clinical therapeutic effects of posterior cervical arthrodesis using polyaxial screw-rod system on upper cervical spinal cord tumors are satisfactory, with no severe complication.
authors.affiliation: Operating Room, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
authors.forename: Mingxiang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
authors.forename: Congcong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
authors.forename: Youwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001863:Bone Screws; D066193:Cervical Cord / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D013123:Spinal Fusion; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult