Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion in the Ovine Model
Published on: October 5, 2009
Internal fixation with occipital hooks construct for occipito-cervical arthrodesis. Results in 14 young or small
Thierry Odent1, Rony Bou Ghosn, Jean-Paul Dusabe
1Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Hôpital Universitaire Necker Enfants Malades, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75743, Paris Cedex 15, France, thierry.odent@nck.aphp.fr.
Purpose:
Evaluation of effectiveness of internal rigid fixation for occipito-cervical fusion with occipital hooks and cervical screws and/or hooks to improve fusion in young or small children with various bone dysplasia or congenital abnormality.
Methods:
Fourteen children with mean age of 8.4 years and height and weight below 140 cm and 35 kg, respectively, who underwent occipito-cervical fusion for miscellaneous pathologies reading to stenosis and/or instability were reviewed. The posterior instrumentation consisted of a precontoured titanium plate rod with an occipital fixation by hooks and a vertebral fixation by screws and/or hooks. Eight patients had cervical fixation with C2 pedicle screws. The mean follow-up was 48 months (27-81 months).
Results:
Thirteen patients (92.8 %) had a complete fusion and no failure of the fixation was observed. We had two deep wound infections not related to implants.
Conclusion:
Instrumentation was technically feasible even in a very young child. Rigid internal fixation in the little children did not increase surgical complications and significantly increased the union rate of occipito-cervical arthrodesis.
