Prospective Cohort Study of Outcome After Minimally Invasive Posterior Cervical Spine Surgery

Prospective Cohort Study of Outcome After Minimally Invasive Posterior Surgery (Posterior Percutaneous Endoscopic Foraminotomy or Tubular Retractor Assisted Micro-foraminotomy) for Single Level Cervical Foraminal Stenosis

In case of cervical foraminal stenosis without central stenosis, there are several options; anterior discectomy and fusion (ACDF), tubular retractor assisted micro-foraminotomy (MTPF) and posterior percutaneous cervical foraminotomy and discectomy (P-PECD). P-PECD is a modern technique and there was no RCT with MTPF, although P-PECD showed not inferior result to ACDF. Nowadays MTPF and P-PECD are minimally invasive surgical techniques, but there was no comparative study.

The primary object of the study is to compare radiological outcome (segment angle) after MTPF or P-PECD.

P-PECDs are performed in Seoul National University Hospital MTPFs are performed in Kyoung-Pook National University Hospital and ACDF are performed in Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

Inclusion Criteria:

• cervical radicular pain
• no cervical myelopathy

Exclusion Criteria:

• motor weakness less than MMT Gr III
• cervical myelopathy
• OPLL and myelopathy
• previous cervical spine surgery
• combined fracture or spinal tumor