Blackstone™ 3° Anterior Cervical Plate System

3° Anterior Cervical Plate System
Blackstone™ Medical Inc. © Used with permission.

Surgeon bends the 3° Anterior Cervical Plate
to fit the contour of the patient's cervical spine.
Blackstone™ Medical Inc. © Used with permission.

Screws are color-coded and come in many lengths.
Blackstone™ Medical Inc. © Used with permission.

The plate, screws and top locking plates "construct" a stable cervical spine. Two types of locking plates (see below) allow the surgeon to choose the degree of constraint built into the construct. The terms constrained, unconstrained or semi-constrained may be used to denote the degree of screw movement allowed.

The "Bronze" Top Locking plate is used when
constructing a constrained or unconstrained plate construct.
Blackstone™ Medical Inc. © Used with permission.

The "Blue" Top Locking Plate is used when
constructing a semi-constrained plate construct.
Blackstone™ Medical Inc. © Used with permission.

Three post-operative x-rays demonstrate the appearance of the 3° Anterior Cervical Plate after surgery. In all three cases, the patients' symptoms were alleviated and each patient is doing well.

Figure A. Lateral (side) view Clinical Case Courtesy Jeffrey Gross, M.D. Neurological Surgery Community Orthopedic Medical Group, Mission Viejo, CA

Figure B. Lateral (side) view Clinical Case Courtesy Jeffrey Gross, M.D. Neurological Surgery Community Orthopedic Medical Group, Mission Viejo, CA

Figure C. AP view; front (anterior) to back (posterior)
Clinical CaseCourtesy Jeffrey Gross, M.D.
Neurological Surgery Community
Orthopedic Medical Group, Mission Viejo, CA

This article is an excerpt from Dr. Stewart G. Eidelson's book, Advanced Technologies to Treat Neck and Back Pain, A Patient's Guide (March 2005).