How ACDF Is Performed: 2 Different Patient Cases
Dr Francis Lovecchio
3,127 views
Two patients, the same diagnosis, the same surgery, two different implants. In this video I walk through how we decide.
Tim and Kevin both came to me in their mid-60s with cervical myelopathy, a pinched spinal cord at C4-5, and both needed an ACDF (anterior cervical discectomy and fusion). But Tim got a standalone cage and Kevin got a plated ACDF, and the reasons why are what this case study is about.
What you'll learn:
The difference between a standalone and a plated ACDF, and why bone quality often decides which one we use
What a T2 signal change (myelomalacia) means on a neck MRI, and why it can signal permanent spinal cord damage
Why catching cervical myelopathy earlier tends to mean a better recovery
Why two reasonable surgeons can look at the same imaging and operate differently
Chapters:
0:00 Two patients, the same diagnosis
0:27 Tim's case: symptoms and MRI findings
2:55 Why we check bone quality on CT
3:23 Tim's standalone ACDF
4:21 How we confirm a fusion
5:31 Tim's recovery
6:08 Kevin's case: a similar scan with one key difference
7:46 What a T2 signal change (myelomalacia) means
8:39 Kevin's plated ACDF
10:15 Kevin's recovery and why it differs
10:46 Why symptom duration matters
11:20 Why this happens to some patients
To learn more or to schedule a consultation, visit drlovecchio.com.
2 Comments
How ACDF Is Performed: 2 Different Patient Cases
Dr Francis Lovecchio
3,127 views
Two patients, the same diagnosis, the same surgery, two different implants. In this video I walk through how we decide.
Tim and Kevin both came to me in their mid-60s with cervical myelopathy, a pinched spinal cord at C4-5, and both needed an ACDF (anterior cervical discectomy and fusion). But Tim got a standalone cage and Kevin got a plated ACDF, and the reasons why are what this case study is about.
What you'll learn:
The difference between a standalone and a plated ACDF, and why bone quality often decides which one we use
What a T2 signal change (myelomalacia) means on a neck MRI, and why it can signal permanent spinal cord damage
Why catching cervical myelopathy earlier tends to mean a better recovery
Why two reasonable surgeons can look at the same imaging and operate differently
Chapters:
0:00 Two patients, the same diagnosis
0:27 Tim's case: symptoms and MRI findings
2:55 Why we check bone quality on CT
3:23 Tim's standalone ACDF
4:21 How we confirm a fusion
5:31 Tim's recovery
6:08 Kevin's case: a similar scan with one key difference
7:46 What a T2 signal change (myelomalacia) means
8:39 Kevin's plated ACDF
10:15 Kevin's recovery and why it differs
10:46 Why symptom duration matters
11:20 Why this happens to some patients
To learn more or to schedule a consultation, visit drlovecchio.com.