This surgery removes damaged or diseased vertebral bone and surrounding discs. It relieves neck, arm and leg symptoms caused by pressure on the spinal cord and spinal nerves. The surgeon performs this procedure through an incision on the front of the neck. The discs above and below the damaged vertebrae are removed. The surgeon removes the diseased vertebra, releasing pressure from the spinal cord and spinal nerves and relieving symptoms. The space is cleared and prepared, and the bone graft is placed between the vertebrae. The graft may be an allograft from a bone bank or an autograft bone taken from the patient’s own hip. The surgeon may screw a small metal plate over the area to hold the bones in place while the vertebrae heal. During the healing process, the bone graft knits together with the vertebrae above and below to form a new bone mass called a fusion.
