Ipsilateral Fixation and Reconstruction of the Cervical Spine after Resection of a Dumbbell Tumor Via a Unilateral Posterior Approach: A Case Report and Biomechanical Study

Objective: There is lack of an internal fixation following resection of a dumbbell tumor by hemi-laminectomy and facetectomy that achieves adequate stability with less trauma. Unilateral fixation and reconstruction (unilateral pedicle screw and contralateral lamina screw fixation combined with lateral mass reconstruction, UPS + CLS + LM) may be an ideal technique to address this problem. A biomechanical comparison and a case report were designed to evaluate its spinal stability and clinical effect. Methods: Seven fresh-frozen human subcervical specimens were used for the biomechanical testing. The conditions tested were: (1) intact; (2) injured (single-level hemi-laminectomy and facetectomy); (3) unilateral pedicle screw (UPS) fixation; (4) UPS fixation combined with lateral mass (LM) reconstruction (UPS + LM); (5) UPS fixation and contralateral lamina screw fixation (UPS + CLS); (6) UPS + CLS + LM; (7) UPS fixation and contralateral transarticular screw fixation (UPS + CTAS); (8) bilateral pedicle screw (BPS) fixation. Range of motion (ROM) and neutral zone (NZ) were obtained at C5-C7 segment under eight conditions. In addition, we report the case of a patient with a C7-T1 dumbbell tumor that was treated by UPS + CLS + LM technique. Results: Except left/right lateral bending and right axial rotation (all, p < 0.05), ROM of UPS + CLS + LMcondition in other directions was similar to that of BPS condition (all, p > 0.05). There was no significant difference between UPS + CLS + LM and the UPS + CTAS condition in other directions of ROM (all, p > 0.05), except in left/right axial rotation (both, p < 0.05). Compared to UPS + CLS condition, left/right lateral bending ROM of UPS + CLS + LM condition were significantly reduced (both, p < 0.05). UPS + CLS + LM condition significantly reduced ROM in all directions compared to UPS and UPS + LM condition (all, p < 0.05). Similarly, except lateral bending (p < 0.05), there was no difference in NZ in other directions between UPS + CLS + LM and BPS condition (both, p > 0.05). There was no significant difference between UPS + CLS + LM and UPS + CTAS condition in NZ in all directions (all, p > 0.05). Axial rotation NZ of UPS + CLS + LM condition was significantly reduced compared to UPS + CLS condition (p < 0.05). Compared to UPS and UPS + LM condition, NZ of UPS + CLS + LM condition was significantly reduced in all directions (all, p < 0.05). The patient's imaging examination at 3 months postoperatively indicated that the internal fixation did not move and the graft bone was seen with fusion. Conclusion: After resection of a dumbbell tumor in the cervical spine, UPS + CLS + LM technique is a reliable internal fixation method to provide sufficient immediate stability and promote postoperative bone fusion.