Lateral Mass Fixation

Indications

• Indications for later mass fixation among vertebrae between C3 and C7 include cervical instability from multilevel anterior cervical diskectomies or corpectomies and occipitocervical instability due to occipitalization of the atlas, C1.

• As with other related approaches, lateral mass fixation can help improve cervical stability and reduce pain for patients with rheumatoid arthritis or trauma affecting cervical vertebrae or causing fracture of the dens, as well as os odontoideum such as congenital nonunion. Common types of trauma include motor vehicle accidents or collision sports and falls from a height or diving.

• Lateral mass fixation can also be performed to help correct disruption of the posterior tension band in a patient with a kyphotic cervical curve who requires an anterior procedure or to address cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament. In addition, lateral mass fixation can be performed after total facetectomy to remove ventrally located cervical meningiomas or after resection of a cervical chondrosarcoma.

• For patients who have undergone posterior cervical laminectomy for myelopathy, lateral mass fixation can offer increased stability, thus reducing pathological movements.