Cervical juxtafacet cyst after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion

Abstract

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a common neurosurgical procedure, and the benefits, long-term outcomes, and complications are well described in the literature. The development of a juxtafacet joint cyst resulting in radiculopathy is a rare outcome after ACDF and merits further description. The authors describe a patient in whom a juxtafacet joint cyst developed after ACDF procedures, resulting in surgical intervention. When a juxtafacet joint cyst develops after ACDF, symptoms can include radiculopathy, neck pain, and neurological symptoms such as paresthesias and motor weakness. The presence of a juxtafacet joint cyst implies instability in that region of the spine. Patients with this pathological entity may require decompression of neural elements and fusion across the segment involved with the cyst.