Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Posterolateral cervical transpedicular corpectomy for the surgical management of metastatic tumor

  • Grand Rounds
  • Published:
European Spine Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Management of metastatic spinal disease in the upper cervical spine can be particularly challenging. Depending on the level of the lesion and the patient’s anatomy, multiple anterior approaches have been described for resection of the cancer, followed by posterior fixation and instrumentation. Although a single-stage posterolateral approach is now well established for thoracic pathology, less is known about the applicability of these principles when applied as an approach to the cervical spine. The authors present here a case using a posterolateral transpedicular approach for corpectomy and graft placement for circumferential reconstruction as a treatment of metastatic disease in the cervical spine to illustrate the feasibility of this technique, especially in the setting where the patient’s anatomy or pathology may impede an anterior or combined circumferential approach.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

References

  1. Jacobs WB, Perrin RG (2001) Evaluation and treatment of spinal metastases: an overview. Neurosurg Focus 11:e10

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Altaf F, Weber M, Dea N, Boriani S, Ames C, Williams R et al (2016) An evidence-based review and survey of expert opinion of reconstruction of metastatic spine tumors. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 41:254–261. https://doi.org/10.1097/brs.0000000000001819

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Eleraky M, Setzer M, Vrionis FD (2010) Posterior transpedicular corpectomy for malignant cervical spine tumors. Eur Spine J 19:257–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-009-1185-4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Cusick JF, Yoganandan N, Pintar F, Myklebust J, Hussain H (1988) Biomechanics of cervical spine facetectomy and fixation techniques. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 13:808–812. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-198807000-00017

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Cahill DW, Kumar R (1999) Palliative subtotal vertebrectomy with anterior and posterior reconstruction via a single posterior approach. J Neurosurg 90:42–47

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Bilsky MH, Boland P, Lis E, Raizer JJ, Healey JH (2000) Single-stage posterolateral transpedicle approach for spondylectomy, epidural decompression, and circumferential fusion of spinal metastases. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 25:2240–2249. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-200009010-00016 (discussion 250)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Vrionis FD, Small J (2003) Surgical management of metastatic spinal neoplasms. Neurosurg Focus 15:E12. https://doi.org/10.3171/foc.2003.15.5.12

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Loblaw DA, Perry J, Chambers A, Laperriere NJ (2005) Systematic review of the diagnosis and management of malignant extradural spinal cord compression: the cancer care Ontario practice guidelines initiative’s neuro-oncology disease site group. J Clin Oncol 23:2028–2037. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2005.00.067

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Shen FH, Marks I, Shaffrey C, Ouellet J, Arlet V (2008) The use of an expandable cage for corpectomy reconstruction of vertebral body tumors through a posterior extracavitary approach: a multicenter consecutive case series of prospectively followed patients. Spine J 8:329–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spinee.2007.05.002

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Gokaslan ZL, York JE, Walsh GL, McCutcheon IE, Lang FF, Putnam JB et al (1998) Transthoracic vertebrectomy for metastatic spinal tumors. J Neurosurg 89:599–609. https://doi.org/10.3171/jns.1998.89.4.0599

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Ames CP, Wang VY, Deviren V, Vrionis FD (2009) Posterior transpedicular corpectomy and reconstruction of the axial vertebra for metastatic tumor. J Neurosurg Spine 10:111–116. https://doi.org/10.3171/2008.11.SPI08445

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Tuzun Y, Izci Y, Sengul G, Erdogan F, Suma S (2005) Neurenteric cyst of the upper cervical spine: excision via posterior approach. Pediatr Neurosurg 42:54–56. https://doi.org/10.1159/000089511

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Acosta FL, Aryan HE, Chi J, Parsa AT, Ames CP (2007) Modified paramedian transpedicular approach and spinal reconstruction for intradural tumors of the cervical and cervicothoracic spine: clinical experience. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 32:E203–E210. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.brs.0000257567.91176.76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Ying Z, Wen Y, Xinwei W, Yong T, Hongyu L, Zhu H et al (2008) Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for unstable traumatic spondylolisthesis of the axis. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 33:255–258. https://doi.org/10.1097/brs.0b013e31816233d0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Wilson AJ, Marshall RW, Ewart M (1999) Transoral fusion with internal fixation in a displaced hangman’s fracture. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 24:295–298. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-199902010-00022

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Smith G, Robinson R (1958) The treatment of certain cervical-spine disorders by anterior removal of the intervertebral disc and interbody fusion. J Bone Jt Surg Am 40:607–624

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Robinson R, Smith G (1955) Anterolateral cervical disk removal and interbody fusion for cervical disk syndrome. Bull Johns Hopkins Hosp 96:223–224

    Google Scholar 

  18. Zhang Y, Zhang J, Wang X, Chen D, Yuan W (2013) Application of the cervical subaxial anterior approach at C2 in select patients. Orthopedics 36:e554–e560. https://doi.org/10.3928/01477447-20130426-15

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Russo A, Albanese E, Quiroga M, Ulm AJ (2009) Submandibular approach to the C2–3 disc level: microsurgical anatomy with clinical application. J Neurosurg Spine 10:380–389. https://doi.org/10.3171/2008.12.SPINE08281

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin H. Pham.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

There were no conflicts of interest or sources of funding for this work.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pham, M.H., Bakhsheshian, J. Posterolateral cervical transpedicular corpectomy for the surgical management of metastatic tumor. Eur Spine J 27, 827–832 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-018-5466-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-018-5466-7

Keywords

Navigation