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SUMMARY Interbody fusion for stabilization of the cervical spine after osteomyelitic destruction of the body of C5 vertebra is reported in a patient with quadriplegia and sphincter disturbances secondary to an epidural abscess. The successful union of the bone graft along with complete neurological recovery after anterior decompression and evacuation of the epidural mass seem to justify the procedure.The management of cervical osteomyelitis complicated by spinal epidural abscess was reviewed in a number of papers (Allbrook, 1949;Durity and Thompson, 1968;Hutton, 1956; Rimalowski and Aronson, 1968), stressing the extreme urgency of the condition and the generally disappointing results of surgery. The standard posterior approach by laminectomy was generally used to decompress the spinal cord.When, however, the epidural abscess develops in association with a compression fracture and dislocation of the vertebral body due to osteomyelitic destruction as in the following case, the posterior approach is obviously inadequate for a thorough debridement. The successful treatment of an epidural spinal abscess complicated by osteomyelitic destruction of the C5 vertebral body by the anterior approach is pres-ented. An autogenous bone graft was used to fill the gap caused by the removal of the destroyed vertebral body and adjacent discs. The satisfactory union of the bone graft and the remarkable neurological recovery prompted this communication. CASE REPORTThe patient was a 26 year old soldier wounded during action by bazooka fragments in the face, neck, shoulders, and right upper arm. Tracheostomy and enucleation of the right eye had been performed at another hospital along with local cleansing of the wounds under penicillin and streptomycin cover.

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