Transcorporeal cervical foraminotomy: Description of technique and results

Abstract

Objective: Retrospective analyses of 216 patients undergoing foraminal decompression with transcorporeal approach and review of the surgical technique. Method: 216 patients with minimum follow-up of 2 years and an average of 41.8 months were included in the study. The clinical records of these patients were reviewed for complications, NDI (neck disability index) and VAS (visual analogue scale). Pre and post-operative radiographs were used to evaluate the disc height. Results: At the end of follow-up patients had significant clinical improvement with reduction of NDI of 88.3% and 86.5% and 68.3% of the VAS for neck and upper limb, respectively (p<0.05). A reduction of 8.8% of the disc height was observed without other complications associated (p<0.05). Conclusion: Radicular decompression through a transcorporeal approach is an alternative that provides good clinical results without the need for a fusion and with few complications.