Abstract
Fourteen rheumatoid patients who suffered from occipito-cervical pain with or without neurological deficit were surgically treated for subluxations of the cervical spine. Long posterior fusion from the occipital to the lower cervical spine was performed using Luque's segmental spinal instrumentation. The average follow-up period was 20 months. Improvement of occipito-cervical pain and neurological signs was obtained in 11 patients. However, the 3 remaining patients died within 3 months post operation from other complications. All surgically treated patients were very severe conditions for anesthesia and surgeries. At present, long posterior fusion with Luque's SSI is our first choice for surgical treatment of rheumatoid cervical spondylitis because of the high incidence of adjacent subluxation after short fusion. However, longevity with Luque's SSI should be clarified by long-term follow-up studies.
