• Zhaoyu Ba, Weidong Zhao, Desheng Wu, Bin Shen, Bin Yu, and Zhongqiu Wang.
• Department of Spine Surgery, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
• Spine. 2012 Sep 15;37(20):E1260-3.

Study DesignA retrospective study.ObjectiveTo assess the radiographical bony union and clinical outcomes of 207 patients who underwent an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with only local decompression bone for the treatment of cervical disc degeneration.Summary Of Background DataMany sources of bone graft have been used for ACDF. Autologous iliac bone is most likely suitable for biologic bone fusion ability, but there may be many problems such as high donor site morbidity. Allograft and artificial bones are less effective for bone fusion. Use of local decompression bone could be a good solution.MethodsA total of 207 patients (range, 35-80 yr) underwent ACDF, using carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone cage lled with local decompression bone with anterior cervical plating to treat symptomatic cervical disorders. Computed tomographic scan of the cervical spine was used to assess fusion rates, and Odom's criteria were used to evaluate the clinical outcome.ResultsAlmost all patients had symptomatic improvement, and 97% of patients (201 of 207) exhibited excellent/good clinical outcomes. All interbody disc spacers with local decompression bone achieved successful fusion, confirmed by radiographs and computed tomographic scans, and no cage subsidence occurred at all levels.ConclusionAs applied in anterior cervical fusion, the local decompression bone embedded into carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone cages is enough and can achieve successful fusion, poignant clinical outcomes while achieving no donor site morbidity.

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