Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes of Combined Posterior Transfacet Screw Fixation and Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Surgery for Unilateral Cervical Facet Fracture with Traumatic Disc Herniation: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Introduction: Combined lateral mass screw-rod (LMSR) fixation and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery is currently the most widely described and accepted procedure for subaxial cervical facet fracture with traumatic disc herniation. Recent biomechanical studies have demonstrated that the use of transfacet screw (TFS) can be considered as a simple alternative method to LMSR. However, to date, little is known about the feasibility and effectiveness of TFS in the combined approach. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and radiographic results of TFS ? ACDF surgery and LMSR ? ACDF surgery, and to provide a less invasive alternative technique for spine surgeons. Method: We retrospectively reviewed patients with unilateral cervical facet fracture with traumatic disc herniation who had undergone TFS ? ACDF (N = 36) or LMSR ? ACDF (N = 34) with a minimum 2-year follow-up. Clinical assessments, which included American Spinal