Study design: Retrospective long-term outcome analysis over more than 10 years.
Objectives: To assess the long-term results of anterior corpectomy and fibular strut grafting over > or =4 disc levels for cervical myelopathy, and identify factors affecting the late deterioration in clinical outcome.
Summary of background data: Few studies have shown long-term results after anterior corpectomy and strut grafting. There is little detailed information about the long-term effects of multilevel anterior corpectomy and fusion for cervical myelopathy.
Methods: A total of 31 cases were available for the 10-year follow-up after surgery (86% follow-up rate). Clinical results and radiographic measurements were obtained before surgery, 3 months after surgery, and at follow-up.
Results: There were 3 patients who had deterioration of the Japanese Orthopedic Association score of 1 point because of increasing hand numbness; 1 patient had adjacent disc degeneration, and 1 had pseudarthrosis without additional stenosis on magnetic resonance imaging. Adjacent disc degeneration did not affect the clinical results (P = 0.76).
Conclusions: The long-term follow-up showed stable clinical results for more than 10 years, which depended on the thorough removal of the possible causes of the myelopathy, such as ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament or a degenerated disc. Adjacent disc degeneration has minimal effects on the long-term clinical results after anterior long fusion.