The strategy selection of surgical approach and decompression and fusion for cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Abstract

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is a common and frequently-occurring disease in Orthopaedics, especially with multi-segmental cervical spondylotic myelopathy. There are several pathogenic factors for cervical spondylotic myelopathy. The clinical symptoms are serious, and the imaging manifestations are complex. Most of them are accompanied by serious neurological damage, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Furthermore, some patients have serious cervical spinal cord injury symptoms, which endanger their lives after mild trauma. Therefore, early diagnosis, early treatment and surgery are the most effective methods at present, which could effectively eliminate the factors of spinal cord compression and reconstruct the stability of cervical spine function. However, the choice of surgical approach and decompression fusion has always been the focus of debate. The primary purpose of surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy is to completely relieve the compression of spinal cord. According to the imaging characteristics of cervical spondylotic myelopathy, it is the key to the success of the operation to determine the decompression and reconstruction of cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Anterior approach can be adopted in patients with the compression factors located in front of the spinal cord, including disc protrusion, mild osteophyte or local ossification posterior longitudinal ligament, less lesion segments, small compression range, cervical kyphosis or local kyphosis deformity, easy resection of compression and sagittal imbalance correction. Decompression fusion can be selected through intervertebral space, subtotal vertebral body resection and mixed decompression for fusion and fixation. In order to retain the active function of cervical vertebrae, artificial disc replacement and fusion can be selected. For patients with the compression factors located in the posterior part of the spinal cord, including ligamentumflavum hypertrophy or ossification, congenital developmental spinal canal stenosis, there are many factors causing compression in front of the spinal cord. The range is larger, the lesion segment is longer. Thus, it is difficult to resect thoroughly in front of the spinal cord with higher risk of anterior surgery. Although the posterior approach is indirect decompression with the help of posterior spinal cord movement, it plays a good role in improving nerve function with fewer complications and relatively higher safety. There are absolute surgical indications and relative indications for two approaches. Combining anterior and posterior surgery has advantages of complete decompression and strong fixation. However, it has the advantages of great trauma and high risk, so it is necessary to apply it in clinical practice. Moreover, no matter how to choose the approach, we should use perfect imaging data combined with clinical symptoms and signs to clarify the pathological factors of spinal cord com pression, the severity of spinal cord injury, the scope of compression and the responsible segment, and formulate an individualized operation plan.