What is the purpose of a posterior cervical fusion?

• A. To stabilize the spine and maintain alignment with decompression to relieve nerve compression
• B. To increase ROM
• C. To improve aesthetics
• D. To treat infection

Answer: (A)

Stabilizing the spine and preserving proper alignment after decompression is the main goal. A posterior cervical fusion uses instrumentation and bone graft to fuse the affected levels, eliminating motion at those segments so the spine remains aligned and the neural elements stay decompressed. This stabilizes the area and prevents recurrent compression or deformity, which is why this approach is chosen after decompression.

Keep in mind that fusion trades off motion at the fused levels, so the overall range of motion is reduced. The other options don’t fit because increasing ROM isn’t the aim of fusion, improving aesthetics isn’t relevant to the procedure, and treating infection is addressed with infection-control measures rather than fusion alone.