C2 quad-screws facilitate 4-rod fixation across the cervico-thoracic junction

Abstract

Background: Cervical spine deformity is a potentially devitalizing problem. Contemporary techniques for repair and reconstruction include fusion using rods of tapered diameter alone, or quadruple-rod constructs in which primary rods are joined to floating accessory rods by connectors. Here, we present how we utilized a quadruple-rod construct to perform five C2 to thoracic spine fusions. Methods: Our hospital electronic medical record revealed five patients who underwent the four rod C2-thoracic spine fixation. Patients ranged in age from 14-years-old to 78-years-old. The mean operative time was 715.8 min (range 549-987 min), and average estimated blood loss was 878 cc (range 40-1800 cc). Results: None of the five patients sustained any intraoperative complications, and none demonstrated progressive kyphotic deformity over the average follow-up interval of 8 months. Conclusion: We successfully treated five patients with degenerative or oncologic cervical pathology requiring fixation across the cervicothoracic junction utilizing a 4-rod C2-cervicothoracic fusion technique.