Purpose: This study is to share our experience of a modified anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedure with a new source of autograft bone for interbody fusion.
Methods: The same procedure was performed in 893 cases where autograft was obtained from the osteophytes and/or the reams of vertebrae. For each case, radiological fusion rate and clinical outcome were followed up for 3 and 12 months after surgery.
Results: For one to three-level ACDF, fusion rates were from 67.8% to 75.4% at 3 months follow-up, and 92% to 98.8% at 12 months follow-up. Patients' VAS, NDI, JOA and SF-36 score improve significantly at 12 months follow-up.
Conclusion: Osteophytes and vertebral reams can be a reliable source of bone graft that leads to high fusion rate and successful clinical outcome while avoiding all the problems with the current bone grafting methods used in ACDF surgery.
Keywords: Cervical vertebrae; autologous; spinal fusion; transplantation.