Welcome to the forum, Jay. I was especially interested in the problem you had with the childhood hook, as I also had a severe problem with mine (I just had small vertebrae, so they used a hook. In my revision surgery it was removed but it had pierced the dura.
Normally I would think they would do this posterially, not from the front. My (new) rods extend to T3 but not to the cervical area. I do have a cage at C-6, C-7 due to a herniated disc years ago, and they went through my throat. My surgeon told me to be careful about eating steak in the future....I had no idea what he meant until scar tissue formed and while eating steak, it caught in my throat and my son had to perform Heimlich! Not much fun when it was our first dinner together after he was released from the military! What a way to end a dinner, lol.
Again, best of luck.
Susan
XLIF/Posterior Surgery 6/16/08. Fused T10-L5 in CA by Dr. Michael Kropf (don't go there unless it's simple, I hear he's at Cedar's now). Very deformed, had revision w/5 PSO's, rods from T-3 to sacrum including iliac screws, all posterior, 5/23/16 with Dr. Purnendu Gupta of Chicago.
Owner of Chachi the Chihuahua, So Cal born and bred, now a resident of 'Chicagoland' Illinois. Uh, dislike it here....thank God there was ONE excellent spine surgeon in this area.