Anterior cervical interbody fusion with plate fixation for chronic spondylotic radiculopathy: a 2- to 8-year follow-up.

In retrospectively analyzing 35 consecutive patients with chronic spondylotic radiculopathy treated by nerve root decompression, interbody fusion (Robinson technique), and plating, we studied the perioperative complication rate as well as the long-term clinical and radiologic outcomes of an additional plate fixation in degenerative cervical disorders. After an average of 54 months (range 24-102 months), all cases were reviewed for the purpose of this study. There were no perioperative or postoperative complications related to the plate fixation. In particular, there was no infection, graft extrusion, or neurologic deterioration. A solid fusion was obtained in all cases with a single-level fusion and in 87% of the cases with a multilevel fusion. The overall fusion rate was 94%. The clinical outcome of the patients with chronic radiculopathy was comparable with that in the literature, with only three patients (8.6%) having a poor result. This study demonstrated that plate fixation can be a useful adjunct in patients undergoing interbody fusion for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy. Plate fixation seems to reduce the rate of nonunion without additional hazards for the patient. This report should form the basis for a prospective randomized trial to answer the question more conclusively of whether an additional plate fixation is superior to uninstrumented cervical fusion in degenerative disorders.