Dr Adriaan Liebenberg My Spine Cervical | Page 121

CHAPTER 18
POSTERIOR CERVICAL
FUSIO
(This is the section that explains the detail of the operation or procedure
above and should be read in conjunction with the chapter Your eck
Operation).
There are several reasons for performing a posterior neck fusion. Generally,
this operation is performed for instability of the cervical spine (neck). The
instability could be the result of trauma, but it could also be the result of
extensive surgery that was needed to decompress spinal nerves. In other
cases, the cervical spine has become unstable due to a degenerative condition
such as rheumatoid arthritis.
There are many different techniques depending on the preference of the spe-
cialist and on the pathology that needs to be treated. There are techniques
where wires are used to attach the spinous processes or the facet joints (see
the chapter Anatomy of the Spine) to each other to stabilise the spine. Other
techniques involve the use of metal clamps that hook on to the laminae. More
robust fusions are made possible by putting screws into the lateral mass. This
is the bit of bone that supports the facet joints and contains the tunnel through
which the vertebral artery runs. Another technique is to put screws into the
pedicles (see the chapter Anatomy of the Spine) of the cervical vertebrae.
It is frequently necessary to decompress the nerves before the fusion. See the
chapter Cervical Laminoplasty and Laminectomy for a description of this part
of the operation.
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