Anterior interbody fusion for treatment of cervical-disk conditions

This exhibit is based on a series of 210 anterior-cervical fusion operations performed at the Cleveland Clinic during the past six years. Its purpose is to elucidate the following: clinical manifestations of cervical-disk disease, diagnostic maneuvers useful in selecting patients for surgery, surgical technique, and clinical results. Anterior-cervical fusion was established as a clinical method for the treatment of cervical-disk problems in 1958.1-3There have been a number of subsequent reports of clinical experience with the procedure.4-7One of the difficulties in evaluating the results of the surgical treatment of cervical-disk disease, both from reported series and from the present series, has been the tendency to group together the various types of cervical-disk conditions without distinction regarding the clinical manifestations and disabilities. This has been unfortunate because each type presents different problems in management and the results should be considered separately. An attempt has been made in the