A new study published in Spine examines the 10-year outcomes for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.
The study authors assessed 159 patients who underwent ACDF with or without decompression. All the patients had autogenous tricortical iliac crest bone graft and plate instrumentation. Study authors found:
1. There were significant outcome improvements for all patients at all follow-ups to 10 years among the spinal fusion patients.
2. Patient outcomes weren't related to factors including age, gender and levels treated.
3. Narcotic pain medication use decreased overtime and almost all neurological deficits were resolved by 10 years after surgery.
4. Self-reported success among patients ranged from 85 percent to 95 percent.
5. Additional surgery occurred for psuedarthrosis in 10 percent of the patients and adjacent segment degeneration in 21 percent of the patients.
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