Spine Procedures
Corpectomy
In some cases of cervical and thoracolumbar disease, it may be necessary to remove the body (front part) of the vertebral bone. This may be done to address conditions such as fractures, tumors, infections, degeneration, and deformity. Once the vertebral body has been removed, the defect is filled with a spacer made of bone or man-made material. The spacer helps to restore and maintain the natural height of the affected segment and to help provide stability. Typically, a plate with screws is placed over the front of the spacer, bridging the bone above and the bone below, in order to facilitate stability and to limit motion while the bones are knitting together.