Posterior Cervical Laminectomy and Fusion Surgery C3-C7

Currently, subaxial instrumentation is most often performed via lateral mass screw fixation. Pedicle screw fixation in the subaxial cervical spine is sometimes used at C7 because of the small lateral mass and the absence of the vertebral artery; however, it is used less often than lateral mass screw fixation because of the risk to the vertebral artery above C7 and the risk of injuring nerve roots. Accordingly, this chapter will focus on lateral mass fixation techniques.