A corpectomy is surgery to relieve pressure on the spinal cord due to spinal stenosis. In spinal stenosis, bone spurs press against the spinal cord, leading to a condition called myelopathy. This can produce problems with the bowels and bladder and disrupt the way you walk. Fine motor skills of the hand may also be impaired. In a corpectomy, the front part of the spinal column is removed. (Corpus means body, and ectomy means remove.) Bone grafts are used to fill in the space. This procedure is used when bone spurs have developed in more than one vertebra.
Operation Of Corpectomy:
Incision : The patient is positioned on their back. If using the patient's own bone, an incision is made over the hip to harvest bone from the iliac crest. For the corpectomy, a small incision is made on either side of the neck. (A longer "up and down" incision may be required for multiple corpectomies).
Decompression : The cervical spine is widely exposed by separating the spaces between the normal tissues. The discs above and below the vertebrae involved are removed. The middle portion of the vertebrae is removed (some of which is saved for use in the fusion) using special cutting instruments and drills to decompress the underlying spinal cord and nerve roots
Reconstruction : A strut of bone is placed to span the bony defect and provide support to the front of the spine. The bone is incorporated (fused) into the remaining vertebrae over time. Bone from the bone bank (allograft) may be substituted for the patient's own bone. A metal plate and screws are often used to provide extra support and facilitate the fusion process
Technically, a corpectomy is a more difficult spine surgery to perform. Similar to a discectomy, the risks and possible complications include:
- Nerve root damage
Damage to the spinal cord
Bleeding
Infection
Graft dislodgment
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