Surgical management of cervical spinal metastasis: anterior reconstruction and stabilization techniques

Anterior cervical corpectomy followed by reconstruction and stabilization is an effective strategy in the management of spinal metastasis in some patients. Various techniques are available in the armamentarium of the spine tumor surgeon. In patients with a limited life expectancy,reconstruction with PMMA achieves immediate stability and thus obviates the need for an external orthosis and allows for early mobilization. The addition of anterior cervical plate fixation provides extra support to prevent distraction failure. In some cases, posterior stabilization may be necessary to achieve adequate stability.