Article

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a common surgical intervention
for radiculopathy resulting from degenerative cervical spine conditions.
Post-surgical cervical collar use is believed to reduce post-operative pain,
provide the patient with a sense of security during activities of daily living
and even reduce rates of non-fusion. This prospective randomized controlled pilot
trial investigates trial design feasibility in relation to prospective physical,
functional, and quality of life-related outcomes of patients undergoing ACDF with
interbody cage, with (n = 17) and without (n = 16) post-operative cervical collar
usage. Results show that the sample provides sufficient statistical power to show
that the use of a rigid cervical collar during 6 post-operative weeks is
associated with significantly lower levels of neck disability index after 6 weeks
and significantly lower levels of prospective neck pain. To investigate causal
quality of life or fusion rate outcomes, sample size needs to be increased at
least fourfold and optimally sixfold when accounting for data loss in prospective
follow-up. The study suggests that post-surgical cervical collar usage may help
certain patients cope with initial post-operative pain and disability.

Langue : ANGLAIS