Anterior decompression, structural bone grafting, and Caspar plate stabilization for unstable cervical spine fractures and/or dislocations.

Abstract

Fourteen patients who sustained acute cervical spine fractures and/or dislocations with associated posterior ligamentous disruption had anterior decompressions, structural bone grafting, and anterior Caspar plate stabilization. With an average 30-month follow-up, no patient has had loss of fixation. Despite criticism raised from biomechanical testing, the Caspar anterior plate system (Aesculape, Tuttlingen, Germany) may be added to structural bone grafting of unstable cervical fractures and/or dislocations, yielding an in vivo solid construct, which obviates the need for simultaneous posterior stabilization.