Zero-profile anchored cage reduces risk of postoperative dysphagia compared with cage with plate fixation after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion

• Published in: European Spine Journal Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 975 - 984
• Main Authors: Xiao, ShanWen, Liang, ZhuDe, Wei, Wu, Ning, JinPei
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.04.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bone Plates; Cervical Vertebrae - surgery; Cohort Studies; Deglutition Disorders - epidemiology; Diskectomy - instrumentation; Diskectomy - methods; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neurosurgery; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Postoperative Period; Radiculopathy - surgery; Review Article; Risk; Spinal Cord Compression - surgery; Spinal Fusion - instrumentation; Spinal Fusion - methods; Surgical Orthopedics; Anterior fusion; Cervical diseases; Zero-profile cage; Plate; Meta-analysis
• ISSN: 0940-6719; 1432-0932
• DOI: 10.1007/s00586-016-4914-5

Purpose To compare the rate of postoperative dysphagia between zero-profile anchored cage fixation (ZPC group) and cage with plate fixation (CP group) after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Methods A meta-analysis of cohort studies between zero-profile anchored cage and conventional cage with plate fixation after ACDF for the treatment of cervical diseases from 2008 to May 2016. An extensive search of studies was performed in PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane library and Google Scholar. Dysphagia rate was extracted. Data analysis was conducted with RevMan 5.2. Results Sixteen trials involving 1066 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results suggested that the ZPC group were associated with lower incidences of dysphagia than the CP group at postoperative immediately, 2 weeks, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months. In subgroup analysis, although significant differences were only found in the mild dysphagia at 3 and 6 months postoperatively and in the moderate dysphagia at 2 weeks after surgery; the ZPC group had a lower rate of postoperative dysphagia than the CCP group in short, medium and long term follow-up periods. Conclusions Zero-profile anchored cage had a lower risk of postoperative dysphagia than cage with plate.