Burke T G, Caputy A
Department of Neurosurgery, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
J Neurosurg. 2000 Jul;93(1 Suppl):126-9. doi: 10.3171/spi.2000.93.1.0126.
Cervical radiculopathy caused by either soft herniated disc material or foraminal stenosis is a common problem. Anterior and posterior surgical approaches are commonly used to decompress the nerve root. The authors undertook a study to establish the feasibility of performing a microendoscopic posterior approach for cervical foraminotomy in the clinical setting.
The authors performed an endoscopic posterior foraminotomy technique in which they used a rigid endoscope, in both a cadaver model and in three clinical cases, including one in which a multiple-level procedure was undertaken. Postoperatively, all patients returned to functional work status within 4 weeks. The mean length of hospitalization was 1.3 days.
The advantages to this technique include improved intraoperative visualization, a smaller incision, and significantly less postoperative discomfort compared with a traditional keyhole approach.
