Short-term Comparison Of Signle Segment Anterior Cervical Fusion With Endplate Preserved Or Not

Objective: To compare the differences of height of vertebra, changeof cervical physiological curvature,bone fusion and curative effectassociated with single segment anterior cervical fusion with endplatepreserved or not.Methods: Totally85patients who underwent anterior cervicaldiscectomy and fusion for single segment cervical osteoarthritis. Amongthem,40patients were with endplate preserved (group A):23patients werecervical spondylotic myelopathy(group A1),17patients were cervicalspondylotic radiculopathy(group A2);45patients were without endplatepreserved(group B):24patients were CSM(group B1);21patients wereCSR(group B2).Follow-up was performed at months6,12after operationrespectively. Anterior and lateral X-ray was done in every follow-up in allpatients. Bone fusion, height of vertebra and change of cervicalphysiological curvature were analyzed after operation. Curative effectwas judged by using JOA and VAS grading system.Results: Postoperative6-months and12-months were performed inall cases.The improvement rate of JOA was（40.68±27.31）%in groupA1,（60.23±24.45）%in group B1(P<0.05).The improvement of VASwas （6.54±1.12) in group A2,（6.61±0.97) in group B2（P>0.05).Within3months,31patients had fusions in group A, the fusion ratewas77.50%,43patients had fusions in group B, the fusion rate was95.56%(P <0.05).Within6months, all patients in group A and B hadfusions.The cervical lordotic alignment was increased (2.62±4.25)°in group A,(3.11±5.24)°in group B(P>0.05).The disc height wasincreased (1.36±0.57) mm in group A,(1.64±071) mm in group B(P>0.05). Conclusions: There are no significant differences in bone fusion,height of vertebra and change of cervical physiological curvature werebetween the two groups after12months.Cervical spondylotic myelopathypatients who underwent anterior cervical fusion without endplatepreserved may get more sufficient decompression in spine and moreimprovement in curative effect. This research is time-shorter and lack ofsystemic cases collection. More long-term researches are needed in heightof vertebra and change of cervical physiological curvature after operation.