If only one level is fused, you may have similar or even better range of motion than before surgery. Often called cages, this graft material is packed with shavings of living bone tissue taken from your spine during surgery.Īfter fusion you may notice some range of motion loss, but this varies according to neck mobility before surgery and the number of levels fused. Bone graft substitute comes from man-made plastic, ceramic, or bioresorbable compounds.Allograft is shaped like a doughnut and the center is packed with shavings of living bone tissue taken from your spine during surgery. This graft does not have bone-growing cells or proteins, yet it is readily available and eliminates the need to harvest bone from your hip. Bone-bank bone is collected from people who have agreed to donate their organs after they die. Allograft bone comes from a donor (cadaver).The harvested bone is about a half inch thick – the entire thickness of bone is not removed, just the top half layer. Harvesting a bone graft from your hip is done at the same time as the spine surgery. The disadvantage is the pain in your hipbone after surgery. This graft has a higher rate of fusion because it has bone-growing cells and proteins. The surgeon takes your own bone cells from the hip (iliac crest). Each type has advantages and disadvantages. The instrumentation and fusion work together, similar to reinforced concrete.īone grafts come from many sources. After 3 to 6 months, the bone graft should join the two vertebrae and form one solid piece of bone. Following surgery the body begins its natural healing process and new bone cells grow around the graft. The bone graft and vertebrae are fixed in place with metal plates and screws. The graft serves as a bridge between the two vertebrae to create a spinal fusion. To prevent the vertebrae from collapsing and rubbing together, a spacer bone graft is inserted to fill the open disc space. Depending on your particular symptoms, one disc (single-level) or more (multi-level) may be removed.Īfter the disc is removed, the space between the bony vertebrae is empty. Surgery from the front of the neck is more accessible than from the back (posterior) because the disc can be reached without disturbing the spinal cord, spinal nerves, and the strong neck muscles. By moving aside the neck muscles, trachea, and esophagus, the disc and bony vertebrae are exposed. The surgeon reaches the damaged disc from the front (anterior) of the spine through the throat area. What is an anterior cervical discectomy & fusion?ĭiscectomy literally means "cutting out the disc." A discectomy can be performed anywhere along the spine from the neck (cervical) to the low back (lumbar). The pinched spinal nerve becomes swollen and painful. Bone spurs may develop which can lead to a narrowing of the nerve root canal (foraminal stenosis). Tears in the disc annulus can allow the gel-filled nucleus material to escape and compress the spinal cord causing numbness and weakness. (top view of vertebra) Degenerative disc disease causes the discs (purple) to dry out.