CASE REPORT article
Front. Surg.
Sec. Orthopedic Surgery
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2025.1609708
This article is part of the Research TopicClinical and Basic Research on Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Associated with Spinal DegenerationView all 8 articles
Concurrent Esophageal and Spinal Cord Compression in Cervical Spondylosis: Integrated Anterior Osteophytectomy and Zero-Profile ACDF for Dual Pathology Decompression
Provisionally accepted
- 1The First Clinical College, Gannan Medical University, Gan zhou, China
- 2Department of Orthopedic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China
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Cervical spondylotic dysphagia (CSD) and cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) represent two distinct clinical entities within degenerative cervical pathology. Their cooccurrence creates diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas due to overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms. CSD primarily stems from anterior cervical osteophytes mechanically compressing the esophageal lumen, resulting in progressive dysphagia and pharyngeal discomfort. Conversely, CSM develops through spinal cord compression mediated by posterior osteophytic growth, intervertebral disc herniation, or ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), clinically manifesting as limb paresthesia, motor weakness, gait instability, and impaired manual dexterity. We describe a 58-year-old male presenting with progressive dysphagia accompanied by bilateral lower extremity weakness. Radiological evaluation demonstrated prominent anterior osteophytes with bridging syndesmophytes at C4-C6 levels causing posterior pharyngeal wall displacement, concurrent with C3-C7 OPLL and multilevel disc herniations inducing spinal cord compression. Surgical management comprised anterior cervical osteophytectomy via a standard Smith-Robinson approach, followed by two-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) utilizing a zero-profile interbody cage system, achieving dual objectives of spinal canal decompression and segmental stabilization. The patient exhibited complete dysphagia resolution and substantial neurological recovery during postoperative follow-up.
Keywords: Cervical spondylotic dysphagia, Cervical spondylotic myelopathy, Degenerative cervical disease, Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), Zeroprofile interbody fusion devices, Osteophyte and Cervical disc herniation
Received: 10 Apr 2025; Accepted: 13 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wu, Shao, Zhu and Mo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jianwen Mo, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China
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