Overview Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) can manifest as myelopathy, radiculopathy, or myeloradiculopathy. Calcification and thickening of the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) in this disease leads to reduction…
Overview Cervical corpectomy is a ventral cervical spine procedure for safe and effective neural decompression, deformity correction, and mechanical stabilization. The procedure typically involves removal of part or all of…
Overview Cervical laminoplasty is a surgical treatment for cervical spondylotic myelopathy and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) that increases the area of the spinal canal while preserving the…
Overview Anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion is a well-established, commonly performed surgical procedure for cervical spondylosis. Since its introduction in the 1950s by Robinson and Smith and also Cloward, excellent…
Overview Although intense discussions persist in regard to which approach should prevail in treating pathology of the cervical spine, anterior approaches have become vastly more common and accepted over the…
Overview Disorders of the cervical spine can cause radiculopathy, myelopathy, or both. Compression of the neural elements occurs most commonly as a result of disk herniation and/or osteophyte formation but…
Overview Over the past decade, minimally invasive treatment of spinal disorders has become feasible with the application of percutaneous technologies. These percutaneous approaches to spinal problems have the merits of…
Overview A variety of techniques have been developed to internally stabilize the subaxial cervical spine using a posterior approach. These include interspinous wiring with bone grafts, interlaminar clamps, hook plates,…
Overview Pathologic processes that may involve the craniovertebral junction (CVJ) include rheumatoid arthritis (RA), infection, trauma, tumor, Down syndrome and other congenital anomalies, osteoarthritis, osteogenesis imperfecta, achondroplasia, and iatrogenic instability….
Overview Cervical spondylosis and disk degeneration can lead to radiculopathy and myelopathy from progressive foraminal or central stenosis. A 14 year epidemiologic study from Rochester, Minnesota, found the incidence of…
