Single and Two-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) with Stand-Alone Cage-Plate: Single Centre Experience

Introduction: After almost a decade of employing the concept of intervertebral disc removal complemented by vertebral fusion as a therapeutic technique for herniated cervical discs, Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) became the standard gold treatment of a spectrum of cervical diseases such as compressive myelopathy/ radiculopathy, disc herniation, and trauma. There is no discrepancy regarding the technique of ACDF in terms of using a standalone cage with an integrated spacer system or plating. This study reports 20 cases that underwent ACDF with standalone cage-plate and their radiological outcomes. Methods: A total of 20 patients who underwent single or twolevel ACDF with standalone cage-plate for radiculopathy or myelopathy between May 2017 and February 2019 at a tertiary University Hospital have retrospectively reported in this study. The patient’s demographics and radiological outcomes, including disc height, segmental lordotic angle, and global lordotic angle, were reported for each case preoperatively, immediately postoperatively, and at 12-month follow-up. As per protocol, all patients were on Calcium and Vitamin D for nine months after the procedure. Results: All cases had an excellent fusion rate at 12 months of follow-up. None of the cases we reported has faced subsidence. According to Odom’s criteria, the surgical outcome has been reported as excellent for all patients at 12 months of follow-up. Conclusion: ACDF with a standalone cageplate system has shown excellent fusion, clinical and radiological outcomes with no subsidence and pseudoarthrosis in short term.