Dr Adriaan Liebenberg My Spine Cervical | Page 105

CHAPTER 16
ATERIOR CERVICAL
DISCECTOMY (ACD)
(WITH OR WITHOUT CORPECTOMY OR FUSIO)
(This is the section that explains the detail of the operation or procedure
above and should be read in conjunction with the chapter Your eck
Operation).
An anterior cervical discectomy (ACD) is an operation that is performed for
a herniated cervical intervertebral disc (slipped disc) which is causing pres-
sure on the related nerves or the spinal cord. The aim of the operation, which
is performed from the front of the neck, is to remove this pressure by taking
away the disc, the disc prolapse and any bony outgrowths/osteophytes that
may be present. In some cases several discs need to be removed. At times
even one or two vertebral bodies need to be removed to free the nerves and
spinal cord. This latter operation is called a corpectomy (corpus is the Latin
for body of the vertebra).
These operations usually require that the discs and vertebrae that are removed
be replaced eventually by bone. Bridging a gap like this with bone is called
an anterior cervical disc removal and fusion (ACDF). To enhance the likeli-
hood and the speed of fusion and for the maintenance of the normal height of
the disc space and the normal alignment of the neck vertebrae, the space is
filled mostly with the patient's own bone or bone from a bone bank. A spac-
er made of metal or plastic is often used as a receptacle for the bone.
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