Another method for relieving pressure on the spinal cord that may be causing spinal stenosis or cervical myelopathy is to remove the front of the spinal canal. This means that the large part of several of the vertebrae must be removed — the vertebral bodies and the discs between. This procedure is called a corpectomy. “Corpus” means body and “ectomy” means remove. Once the vertebral bodies have been removed, the space must be filled with something. Just as in the anterior cervical fusion, this space is usually filled with a bone graft. Some type of internal fixation is usually required to hold the vertebrae and the bone graft in place. You will probably also need to be placed in a halo jacket to hold your head perfectly still while the healing occurs and the vertebrae fuse.