Clinical Characteristics and Management of C3-4 Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Masato Tomii; Junichi Mizuno

doi:10.1016/j.nec.2017.09.011

Clinical Characteristics and Management of C3-4 Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2018 Jan;29(1):153-158. doi: 10.1016/j.nec.2017.09.011.

Authors

Masato Tomii¹, Junichi Mizuno²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, Southern TOHOKU General Hospital, Iwanuma, Miyagi, Japan. Electronic address: masatotomii@ybb.ne.jp.
² Department of Neurosurgery, Southern TOHOKU General Hospital, Iwanuma, Miyagi, Japan.

PMID: 29173428
DOI: 10.1016/j.nec.2017.09.011

Abstract

Single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) was performed at C3-4; non-C3-4 ACDF patients of the authors' random sample of ACDF patients were compared with C3-4 ACDF patients. The radiological study of C3-4 ACDF patients shows that they had significant cervical lordosis, and cervical motion was dependent on the C3-4 segment, which accounted for 39.8% of C2-7 range of intervertebral motion (total motion). In C3-4 ACDF patients, not only static factors but also dynamic factors (instability) at the C3-4 level contributed to the major causes of degenerative cervical myelopathy.

Keywords: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion; C3-4 level; Cervical spondylotic myelopathy; Degenerative cervical myelopathy; Instability.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Cervical Vertebrae / surgery*
Diskectomy*
Humans
Spinal Fusion*
Spondylosis / diagnosis
Spondylosis / surgery*
Treatment Outcome