Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
Anterior cervical discectomy and interbody fusion (ACDF) is a surgical technique used to treat a variety of cervical spine disorders, such as nerve root or spinal cord compression, cervical spondylosis, and cervical spinal stenosis (1,2).
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the clinical outcome of ACDF with an autologous iliac crest graft (AICG) versus ACDF with an artificial anatomical cervical cage made of polyethereterketone (PEEK) filled with artificial bone substitute for patients with cervical spondylosis.
METHODS:
This was a nonrandomized prospective study of 68 patients ( 28 females,41.2%), and (40 males,58.8%) with mean age of 59.4 years, who had symptomatic cervical disc degeneration (CCD) and underwent ACDF from 1st February 2010 till 1st of September 2013.
We divided the patients into two groups, group A made of 25 patients underwent ACDF by using AICG and group B made of 43 patients underwent ACDF by using anatomical cervical cage (PEEK) filled with bone substitute.
All patients were evaluated preoperatively and six months postoperatively by using Neck disability index (NDI), and Visual analogue scale (VAS) for radicular pain, neck pain and headache.
RESULTS :
For group A, the postoperative improvement in NDI was statistically significant, and for VAS the postoperative improvement was statistically significant for radicular pain, neck pain and headache.
For group B, the postoperative improvement in NDI was statistically significant, and for VAS the postoperative improvement was statistically significant for radicular pain, neck pain and headache.
The difference in postoperative improvement between group A and B was statistically not significant for NDI, and VAS (radicular pain, neck pain and headache).
CONCLUSION:
Both methods are effective in treating cervical spondylosis in selected patients.
No method is statistically superior to another in 6 months postoperative clinical outcomes by using NDI and VAS for radicular pain, neck pain and headache.