Posterior Decompression and Posterior Fusion with Lateral Mass Fixation for Patients with Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

Abstract

“Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is increasingly prevalent in the elderly and is the leading cause of spinal cord dysfunction in this population. Surgical management of patients with multilevel CSM aims to decompress the spinal cord and restore the normal sagittal alignment. Laminectomy with fusion and laminoplasty halt progression of myelopathy in these patients; however, both procedures have well-documented complications and associated morbidity. Lateral mass plating has become the technique of choice for posterior cervical fixation. Although these systems are safe and reliable, they can be difficult to use in patients with abnormal cervical anatomy; screw placement can be compromised by the fixed hole spacing of the plate; screw back-out and other forms of implant failure can occur.” Key words: Posterior Decompression, Posterior Fusion, Lateral Mass Fixation, Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy, Systematic Review