3D Computed-Tomography Models for In Vivo Analysis of the Neural Foramen Geometry After Anterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion

Cervical radiculopathy is a dysfunction of a nerve root in the cervical spine, which is often a result of narrowing neural foramen of the cervical spine. The cervical foramen boundaries consist of the superior and inferior pedicles, the posteroinferior margin of the superior vertebral body, the posterosuperior margin of the inferior vertebral body, and the superior and inferior articular facets (Fig 1). Because the neural foramen’s boundaries consist of two movable joints, dynamic changes occur to the neural foramen dimensions. These dynamic changes and the presence of the dorsal root ganglia present the possibility of the neural foramen contributing to the complex etiology of radiculopathy. Current surgical practice recommends an Anterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion (ACDF) procedure to treat radiculopathy. For the reasons stated above, pre- and post-surgical neural foramen geometry assessment is important to evaluate effects of the treatment. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, an accurate in vivo and computerized tomography (CT) three-dimensional (3D) model has not been demonstrated in the literature.