{{Short description|Surgical removal of all or part of a vertebra}} {{Infobox interventions | Name = Corpectomy | Image = Corpectomy.png| Caption = | ICD10 = | ICD9 = {{ICD9proc|80.99}} | MeshID = | OPS301 = | synonyms = Vertebrectomy| HCPCSlevel2 = }} A '''corpectomy''' or '''vertebrectomy''' is a surgical procedure that involves removing all or part of the vertebral body (Latin: ''corpus vertebrae'', hence the name corpectomy), usually as a way to decompress the spinal cord and nerves. Corpectomy is often performed in association with some form of discectomy.<ref name="UMM">{{cite web|url = http://umm.edu/programs/spine/health/guides/cervical-corpectomy| website = UMM.edu | title = Cervical Corpectomy|publisher = University of Maryland Medical Center | date = 17 June 2013 | accessdate = 13 February 2013}}</ref>
When the vertebral body has been removed, the surgeon performs a vertebral fusion. Because a space in the column remains from the surgery, it must be filled using a block of bone taken from the pelvis or one of the leg bones or with a manufactured component such as a cage. This bone graft holds the remaining vertebrae apart. As it heals, the vertebrae grow together and fuse.<ref name="UMM" />
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Bone, cartilage, and joint procedures}} Category:Neurosurgery Category:Orthopedic surgical procedures Category:Surgical removal procedures
{{surgery-stub}}