The radiographic failure of single segment anterior cervical plate fixation in traumatic cervical flexion distraction injuries.

STUDY DESIGN A radiographic review of 87 patients with either unilateral or bilateral facet dislocations or fracture/dislocations treated with anterior cervical discectomy, fusion, and plating. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this study was to report the incidence of radiographic failure and factors that would predispose to this loss of alignment. The secondary objective was to report the rate of pseudarthrosis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Biomechanical and clinical data conflict regarding the appropriate approach and method of fixation of distractive flexion cervical injuries. Unilateral and bilateral facet fracture subluxations may be surgically stabilized by anterior cervical discectomy, fusion, and plating, posterior instrumentation, or both. There are no documented reports of the rate of radiographic failure of this procedure when limited to a single level injury from a distractive flexion mechanism. METHODS Inclusion criteria were all single-level unilateral and bilateral facet fracture dislocations or subluxations treated with a single-level anterior cervical discectomy, fusion, and plating. Retrospectively, 107 cases were identified (87 with complete radiographs) from January 1994 to December 2001. Radiographic failure was defined as a change in translation of greater than 4 mm and/or change in angulation of greater than 11 degrees between the immediate postoperative films and the most recent follow-up. Fusion was assessed radiographically. RESULTS A 13% incidence of radiographic loss of alignment is reported in 87 unilateral and bilateral facet fracture subluxations stabilized with anterior cervical discectomy, fusion, and plating. Radiographic failure correlated with the presence of endplate compression fracture and facet fractures on injury radiographs. There was no correlation between radiographic failure and age, gender, surgeon, unilateral or bilateral injury, plate type, level of injury, degree of translation, or sagittal alignment at the time of injury. CONCLUSION Loss of postoperative alignment occurred in 13% of facet fracture subluxations treated with anterior cervical discectomy, fusion, and plating. Concern regarding mechanical failure of flexion/distraction injuries should be high when they are associated with fractures of either the facets or of the endplate. Endplate fracture was associated with both mechanical failure and pseudarthrosis.