Anterior cervical corpectomy

An anterior cervical corpectomy is undertaken to treat multilevel cervical stenosis resulting in spinal cord compression.

To treat the spinal stenosis, the neurosurgeon removes a part of the vertebral body in the neck to relieve pressure on the spinal cord. A single or multiple vertebral bodies may be removed, including their adjoining intervertebral discs.

An incision is made on the front of the neck, hidden in the neck creases. The muscles of the neck, trachea and oesophagus are gently retracted and the neck vertebrae are identified and the diseased vertebra removed. In place of the vertebrae, a bone implant or synthetic implant is placed that will support the neck until a boney fusion has occurred.

The recovery period is approximately 8 to 12 weeks.