Stand-Alone Cage Versus Anterior Plating for 1-Level and 2-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

Abstract

There was greater incidence of transient postoperative dysphagia in both single and 2-level PLATE cohorts. However, early postoperative outcomes were worse for 2-level CAGE in certain patient-reported metrics. This suggests that although anterior instrumentation may be associated with a higher likelihood of dysphagia, it may also lead to higher short-term stability and improved patient-reported outcomes for 2-level fusion.