Anterior cervical fixation with the titanium locking screw-plate: a preliminary report

Anterior fixation of cervical spine with screw-plates is gaining in popularity in the management of anterior cervical spine instability. We report on our initial experience with anterior cervical fixation using the titanium locking screw-plate (TLSP). Twelve cases, including cervical trauma, cervical spondylosis, and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), underwent multilevel corpectomies or spondylectomies with iliac bone or hydroxylapatite grafting combined with the TLSP system. All 12 patients fused or stabilized with improvement of their neurologic symptoms at a mean follow-up period of 13 months. There were no complications relating to this plating system. Three illustrative cases are presented. Different from previous anterior cervical planting systems such as the Caspar plate, the TLSP system does not gain purchase on the posterior vertebral cortex. It thus reduces possible spinal cord injury during screw placement. The TLSP with interbody fusion may provide reliable stabilization of the cervical spine in a safe and effective manner.