Surgeries:

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is a commonly performed operation and is indicated for the treatment of spinal cord compression or cervical nerve root compression when conservative treatment has failed or is unlikely to be effective. The operation works by removing the cervical disc which is compressing the spinal cord or nerve root from the front and filling the empty disc space with a spacer.  The typical patient with spinal cord compression or myelopathy has numb, clumsy hands, reduced manual dexterity and stiff or spastic gait or walking. The typical patient with cervical nerve root compression (radiculopathy) has referred arm pain, weakness, numbness in the distribution of a cervical nerve root.

In well selected patients, surgery has a high (<90 percent plus chance) of relieving symptoms and a small chance of a complication which includes cosmetic scarring, infection, haematoma, injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (producing hoarseness), vascular (carotid artery, jugular vein, vertebral artery) and visceral structures (oesophagus, trachea) of the neck, spinal cord injury (quadriparesis), non healing, non fusion (particularly if osteoporotic or a smoker) and adjacent segment disease in the future. Catastrophic complications including spinal cord injury, stroke and death are extremely rare.

Surgery involves having a general anaesthetic and then a small incision is made on the right side of the neck to gain exposure to the front of the spine. Using a operating microscope the offending disc is removed and the spinal cord and nerve root freed up. Next the disc space is filled with an implant which is filled with the patients own bone and sometimes augmented with bone substitute or allogenic bone (purified bone from other people) and affixed with mini screws. The wound is closed with dissolving stitches and a small drainage tube placed.

The patient is out of bed the next day and can usually be safely discharged home the following day. Some temporary discomfort with swallowing and between the shoulder blades for a few days is common and goes away. Contact your surgeon if there are any concerning symptoms or wound issues.

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is a commonly performed operation and is indicated for the treatment of spinal cord compression or cervical nerve root compression when conservative treatment has failed or is unlikely to be effective. The operation works by removing the cervical disc which is compressing the spinal cord or nerve root from the front and filling the empty disc space with a spacer.  The typical patient with spinal cord compression or myelopathy has numb, clumsy hands, reduced manual dexterity and stiff or spastic gait or walking. The typical patient with cervical nerve root compression (radiculopathy) has referred arm pain, weakness, numbness in the distribution of a cervical nerve root.

In well selected patients, surgery has a high (<90 percent plus chance) of relieving symptoms and a small chance of a complication which includes cosmetic scarring, infection, haematoma, injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (producing hoarseness), vascular (carotid artery, jugular vein, vertebral artery) and visceral structures (oesophagus, trachea) of the neck, spinal cord injury (quadriparesis), non healing, non fusion (particularly if osteoporotic or a smoker) and adjacent segment disease in the future. Catastrophic complications including spinal cord injury, stroke and death are extremely rare.

Surgery involves having a general anaesthetic and then a small incision is made on the right side of the neck to gain exposure to the front of the spine. Using a operating microscope the offending disc is removed and the spinal cord and nerve root freed up. Next the disc space is filled with an implant which is filled with the patients own bone and sometimes augmented with bone substitute or allogenic bone (purified bone from other people) and affixed with mini screws. The wound is closed with dissolving stitches and a small drainage tube placed.

The patient is out of bed the next day and can usually be safely discharged home the following day. Some temporary discomfort with swallowing and between the shoulder blades for a few days is common and goes away. Contact your surgeon if there are any concerning symptoms or wound issues.