The "Skipped Segment Screw" Construct: An Alternative to Conventional Lateral Mass Fixation-Biomechanical Analysis in a Porcine Cervical Spine Model.

Because both configurations provide comparable stability under physiological loading, we provide a biomechanical basis for the use of SSS configuration owing to its potential clinical advantages, such as relatively less bulk of implants within a small operative field, relative ease of manipulating the rod into position, shorter surgical time, less blood loss, lower risk of screw-related complications, less implant-related costs, and most importantly, no compromise in the required stability needed until fusion.