Influence of subsidence after stand-alone anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in patients with degenerative cervical disease: A long-term follow-up study

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of subsidence in patients who performed stand-alone anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) by analyzing the long-term clinical and radiological outcomes. This retrospective study enrolled 53 patients with 79 segments with degenerative cervical disease treated with stand-alone ACDF with≥5 years of follow-up. Segmental angle (SA), cervical sagittal alignment (CSA), subsidence, and fusion were analyzed. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores and neck disability index (NDI) were also evaluated. Subsidence occurred in 24 (45.2%) patients and 38 segments (48.1%) at the last follow-up. The mean VAS score and NDI had improved in both the subsidence and non-subsidence groups. The mean SA at the last follow-up had increased to 1.3°±8.5° in the subsidence group and to 1.5°±5.2° in the non-subsidence group compared with the post-operative SA (P