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Specialty Surgical Center of North BrunswickSpecialty Surgical Center of North Brunswick

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Anterior Cervical Fusion (ACF)

Anterior Cervical Fusion (ACF) is a procedure that stabilizes the back by grafting any number of the two to seven vertebrae together. This prevents motion and eases pain. As patients heal, the graft and vertebrae grow together. The procedure is done from the front of the neck.

What to expect

Under general anesthesia, a small incision is made to one side of the neck at the collar line. The trachea, or windpipe, and the esophagus are pulled to one side to give clear access to the front of the vertebral bodies and to the discs so that discs and bone spurs can be removed easily. A small piece of bone, either from the patient or from a donor, is placed in the space where the disc was removed. Sometimes, doctors will use surgical wires, rods, screws, metal cages or plates, and a titanium plate may be put over the bone plug to prevent it from moving.

The windpipe and the food pipe are returned to their right place and the incision is closed. The entire procedure takes one to three hours.

How to prepare

Smokers should cut down or stop in the days before the surgery. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before. Arrangements should be made for a ride home. The doctor will advise the patient of any medications prohibited before the surgery.

ACL Repair Anterior Cervical Fusion (ACF) Arthroplasty Bunion/Hammer Toe Correction Epidural Steroid Injection Facet Joint Injections Facet Pain Interventional Procedures Joint Arthroscopy: Knee, Shoulder and Ankle Joint Injections Ligament Repair Lumbar Discectomy Lumbar Laminectomy Orthopedic Procedures Osteoporosis Screening Pain Stimulator Insertion (Spinal Cord Stimulation) Peripheral Nerve Blocks Plantar Fasciotomy Podiatry Procedures Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) Repair of Fractures, Tendons, Nerves Rotator Cuff Repair Sacroiliac Joint Injection Selective Nerve Blocks (SNRB) Spine Procedures
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Specialty Surgical Center of North Brunswick
1520 US Route 130, Suite 103,
North Brunswick, NJ 08902-3145

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