Anterior discectomies and interbody cage fusion without plate fixation for 5-level cervical degenerative disc disease: a 5-year follow-up.

Anterior discectomy and interbody fusion have been proven to be a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of cervical degenerative disc disease. Clinical results for 1- to 4-level interbody cage fusion without plate fixation are encouraging. Five-level cervical interbody cage fusion without plate fixation has not yet been previously reported. We report a 63-year-old female patient suffering from severe pain of the bilateral shoulders and left upper extremity with numbness and weakness of legs. Magnetic resonance imaging showed cervical degenerative disc herniation with cord compression between the levels of C2 and C7. Anterior cervical discectomy and interbody cage fusion without plate fixation were performed. Pain and neurological function improved dramatically after surgery. Asymptomatic subsidence of the cage occurred at the level of C6-7 two months postoperatively with no further progression of subsidence 5 years postoperatively. Good stability of the cages was seen on flexion and extension radiographs 5 years postoperatively. We report the first case with good long-term results of 5-level interbody cage fusion without plate fixation for anterior cervical degenerative disc surgery.