Bilateral osteoplastic decompression laminoplasty with simultaneous foraminotomy to treat multilevel cervical stenosis

Objective. To analyze surgical technique and possibilities of using bilateral laminoplasty technique with simultaneous foraminotomy for extended stenosis of the cervical spine.Material and Methods. The analysis included results of surgical treatment of 26 patients (18 males and 8 females, mean age 60.2 ± 1.3 years) operated on by the method of bilateral laminoplasty with simultaneous foraminotomy from January 2016 to April 2020. Pre- and postoperative clinical condition of patients was assessed, including using VAS, JOA and Nurick scales. An objective assessment of stenosis degree (linear dimensions, areas, volume of the stenotic spinal canal) was performed using standard measuring tools of the RadiAnt DICOM Viewer software. To assess the statistical significance of the obtained results, nonparametric Wilcoxon-T and Mann – Whitney-U tests were used. Differences were considered significant at p < 0.05.Results. Upon admission to the hospital, all patients had specific neurological symptoms with varying degree of pain, myelopathic and radicular symptoms. According to neurovisualisation, the average number of involved in the process levels (stenotic) was 3.2 ± 0.1, (the average length of stenosis was 5.1 ± 0.2 cm). In the postoperative period, all patients showed positive dynamics in the form of a decrease in the severity of neurological disorders and pain (from 7.2 ± 0.1 to 5.07 ± 0.1 according to VAS, p < 0.001). The manifestations of myelopathy decreased according to Nurick scale from 2.08 ± 0.71 to 1.84 ± 0.10 points (p < 0.05). According to MRI data, the average area of the dural sac objectively increased from 1.25 ± 0.30 cm2 to 2.26 ± 0.27 cm2 (p < 0.001), and the volume of spinal canal in the area of stenosis increased from 7.2 ± 0.2 cm3 to 13.4 ± 0.1 cm3 (p < 0.001). Patients were mobilized on the 2nd day after surgery. The duration of inpatient treatment ranged from 4 to 17 days (on average, 7.1 ± 0.4 days). Intraoperative complications were not observed in the presented series. Mild postoperative complications were detected only in two out of 26 operated patients.Conclusion. Bilateral laminoplasty with simultaneous foraminotomy using titanium miniplates and osteoinductive material has a number of advantages and can be the surgery of choice in the treatment of patients with extended cervical stenosis complicated by myelopathy and radicular pain syndrome.

Hybrid cervical disc arthroplasty

For patients with multilevel cervical stenosis at nonadjacent segments, one of the traditional approaches has included a multilevel fusion of the abnormal segments as well as the intervening normal segment. In this video we demonstrate an alternative treatment plan with tailored use of a combination of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) with an intervening skipped level.The authors present the case of a 72-year-old woman with myeloradiculopathy and a large disc herniation with facet joint degeneration at C3–4 and bulging disc at C5–6. After nonoperative treatment failed, she underwent a single-level ACDF at C3–4 and single-level arthroplasty at C5–6, which successfully relieved her symptoms. No intervention was performed at the normal intervening C4–5 segment. By using ACDF combined with arthroplasty, the authors have avoided a 3-level fusion for this patient and maintained the range of motion of 2 disc levels.The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/OrxcPUBvqLk.

Autologous bone graft versus PEKK cage for vertebral replacement after 1- or 2-level anterior median corpectomy

OBJECT Anterior cervical corpectomy with fusion has become the most widely used procedure for the treatment of multilevel cervical stenosis. Although an autologous bone graft is the gold standard for vertebral replacement after corpectomy, industrial implants have become popular because they result in no donor-site morbidity. In this study, the authors compared clinical and radiological results of autologous iliac grafts versus those of bone-filled polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) cage implants. METHODS The clinical and radiological data of 46 patients with degenerative multilevel cervical stenosis and who underwent 1- or 2-level anterior median corpectomy between 2004 and 2012 were analyzed. The patients in Group 1 were treated with vertebral replacement with an autologous iliac graft, and those in Group 2 were treated with a PEKK cage implant. Each patient also underwent osteosynthesis with an anterior plate-screw system. Visual analog scale (VAS) and European Myelopathy Scale scores, loss of height and regional cervical lordosis angle, and complication rates of the 2 groups were compared. RESULTS The mean follow-up time was 20 months. In both groups, the VAS and European Myelopathy Scale scores improved significantly. The loss of height was 3.7% in patients with iliac grafts and 5.3% in patients with PEKK implants. The rates of osseous fusion were similar in Groups 1 and 2 (94.7% and 91.3%, respectively). At the end of the follow-up period, none of the patients complained about donor-site pain. One patient in Group 1 suffered a fracture of the iliac bone that required osteosynthesis. Four patients in Group 2 had to receive revision surgery for cage and/or plate-screw dislocation and new neurological deficit or intractable pain. CONCLUSIONS Preoperative pain and radicularand myelopathic symptoms improve after decompression irrespective of the material used for vertebral replacement. The use of PEKK cages for vertebral replacement seems to result in a higher risk of implant-related complications. A prospective randomized study is necessary to supply evidence for the use of autografts and artificial implants after anterior cervical corpectomy with fusion.

Laminoplasty Techniques for the Treatment of Multilevel Cervical Stenosis

Laminoplasty is one surgical option for cervical spondylotic myelopathy. It was developed to avoid the significant risk of complications associated with alternative surgical options such as anterior decompression and fusion and laminectomy with or without posterior fusion. Various laminoplasty techniques have been described. All of these variations are designed to reposition the laminae and expand the spinal canal while retaining the dorsal elements to protect the dura from scar formation and to preserve postoperative cervical stability and alignment. With the right surgical indications, reliable results can be expected with laminoplasty in treating patients with multilevel cervical myelopathy.

Multiple cervical arcocristectomies for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy: surgical technique and results

Object In the surgical treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy, a posterior approach is recommended for patients with multilevel cervical stenosis. In this article the authors describe the multiple cervical arcocristectomy technique and results. Methods This surgical technique involves the removal of the upper half of the cervical laminae and was performed in 17 patients between 1997 and 2005 with a mean follow-up of 55 months. Results Sixteen patients showed immediate improvement in myelopathic symptoms, and all of them had long-term improvement with no complications and a relatively short surgical time. Conclusions Multiple cervical arcocristectomy is a surgical technique that offers physiological and biomechanical advantages in the treatment of the spondylotic myelopathy.

DORSAL SURGERY FOR MYELOPATHY AND MYELORADICULOPATHY

OBJECTIVE To review the dorsal approaches to the cervical spine for myelopathy and myeloradiculopathy. METHODS The literature was reviewed in reference to dorsal approaches for cervical myelopathy and myeloradiculopathy. RESULTS There are a variety of surgical approaches in the management of cervical myelopathy and myeloradiculopathy. Deciding which is the best method for any individual requires the surgeon to be aware of the advantages of each technique, as well as the complications and limitations of each approach. CONCLUSION Laminectomy is the traditional technique used for multilevel cervical stenosis. The complications related to laminectomy, such as late neurological decline, kyphosis, instability, and postoperative radiculopathy, led to laminectomy with fusion. In Japan, dissatisfaction with both laminectomy and laminectomy with fusion led to the development of laminoplasty for dorsal treatment of multilevel cervical stenosis. This article highlights the salient features of preoperative evaluation in this patient population as it pertains to dorsal surgical approaches. Additionally, the techniques of laminectomy, laminectomy with fusion, and laminoplasty are compared, and the results are reviewed.