75 patients scheduled for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion were randomized to either intravenous steroid administration, local steroid administration, or no steroid administration. The primary purpose of this study was to examine and compare rates of moderate and severe dysphagia between groups over the first 1 year postoperatively. When rates of both moderate-severe dysphagia on the Bazaz classification and severe dysphagia on the EAT-10 measure were compared, the local steroid group demonstrated lower rates compared to the control group at both 2 and 6 weeks after surgery, while the intravenous steroid group demonstrated lower rates compared to the control group at only 6 weeks after surgery. Two cases of nonunion were recorded, both in the local steroid group.