Vol. 5, Issue 6, Part D (2019)

Abstract
The anterior cervical spine surgical procedures invariably need anterior fixation of the vertebral bodies with cervical plates which has a locking mechanism to prevent screw back out. The author encountered the situations in approximately 20 % of his cases where he failed to lock the plate. The cause of failure were evaluated by studying the morphometry of the typical cervical body and it has been found that width of one third of the vertebral bodies were less than the distance between two screw holes, needing medialisation of screws which do not let the locking mechanism to work. The authors recommended manufacture and use of smaller plates for smaller individuals.