Multilevel anterior cervical fusion with standalone cage or cage-and-plate after cervical discectomy: Benefits and drawbacks.

Purpose: Multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), especially two-level ACDF, has been usually performed in the cervical degenerative disease, and the incidence rate of complications is controversial. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of ACDF approach with cage alone and with plate fixation in multilevel discectomy.

Methods: Patients who had undergone multilevel ACDF by the Smith-Robinson methods were included from 2018 to 2020.