A study recently published in The Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques examined the clinical outcomes and fusion rates for patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with and without plates.
Data was gathered for clinical outcomes between April 1966 and December 2010, with 35 articles reviewed. The researchers found:
• Average subsidence rate of 19.3 percent to 42.5 percent
• Subsidence based on implant type was 22.8 percent to 35.9 percent
• Subsidence was not impacted by implant type.
• Overall fusion rate was 92.8 percent
• Overall fusion rate was not impacted by subsidence.
"Subsidence irrespective of the measurement technique or definition does not appear to have an impact on successful fusion and/or clinical outcomes," the authors concluded.
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