[Results of ventral spondylodesis of the cervical spine (C2-C7)]

The author reports of 130 anterior intercorporeal fusions in unstable and/or displaced injuries of the inferior cervical spine (C2-7). Reduction was achieved preoperatively by progressive skull traction in four-fifths of the cases and in the remainder by gentle manual mobilization just before surgery. As a whole, flexion/extension and rotation were found to be reduced by one-fourth despite compensatory mobility below and above the graft; fusions were well tolerated if only one intervertebral space at the lower cervical spine was involved. Robinsons technique, together with anterior plate fixation, yields immediate stabilization, avoids graft migration and redisplacement of the spine, and provides the best functional outcome.