Endoscopic Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy And Discectomy For Treatment Of Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy

Cervical spondylotic radiculopathy is a common disease in spine surgery.Intervertebral disc degeneration is the most important factor in development of radicular cervical spondylosis.On this basis,a series of secondary pathological changes,such as disc herniation,hyperplasia of the ligamentum flavum and the joints,can cause compression of the nerve roots,resulting in clinical symptoms.The anterior cervical decompression and fusion is a classic surgical procedure for the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy.After years of clinical application,it is considered to be the gold standard for surgical treatment of cervical vertebral disc herniation.Although anterior cervical decompression and fusion has good effect and fusion rate,some inadequacies are also gradually reflected.For example,the adjacent segment degeneration,axial symptoms,destruction of the ligament complex structure and so on.With the continuous improvement of the endoscopic spinal system,the endoscopic posterior cervical foraminotomy and discectomy is a new technique,which has been applied in clinical practice in recent years.With the help of imaging system,the technology can establish a channel and expand the intervertebral foramen with the help of endoscopic spinal surgery instruments,so as to directly remove the disc herniation and the compression of the peripheral nerve roots.Since its advent,the technology has become an effective surgical method for the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy disease because of its advantages such as minimally invasive,less intraoperative bleeding,avoiding complications related to fusion,no inner plant and reducing the incidence of axial symptoms.This article reviews the research progress of the posterior cervical foraminotomy and discectomy.