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I am needing a neck fusion but it is my understanding that there are improvements in the size of the plate that is used. Is this really important?

There is a trend among makers of cervical plates to make them thinner. This is in part due to the reported problems with difficulty swallowing after surgery. However, in a recent study with 64 participants, the thickness of the plate, or the degree that the plate protrudes after surgery did not seem to make a significant difference.

Reference: 

Kinsely Chin, MD; James Eiszner, MD; Samuel Adams, Jr. MD. Role of Plate Thickness as a Cause of Dysphagia After Anterior Cervical. In Spine. November 2007. Volume 32. Number 23. Pp. 2585-2590.


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