The Role of Smart-Flap of Sternocleidomastoid Muscle in Cervical Spine Surgery: A Proposal of a New Surgical Technique

Abstract

In cervical spine surgery there are known risk of complications such as esophageal fistula and dural tear. Usually the gold standard in treatment is represented by surgery. The sternocleidomastoid flap is the most common used in the revision procedure. In this paper we propose a modified surgical technique of harvesting the SCM flap and we suggest its use as prevention in selected cases.