Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Posterior decompression and lateral mass screw fixation can relieve the compression of ossification foci to the spinal cord and nerve root, expand the sagittal diameter of the the spinal canal. Meanwhile, the stable reconstruction is realized.
OBJECTIVE: To verify the clinical efficacy of posterior decompression and internal fixation of cervical lateral mass screw for multi-segmental cervical ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL).
METHODS: Thirty-six patients with multi-segmental OPLL were treated by cervical posterior decompression and internal fixation of cervical lateral mass screw. Among these patients, 3 cervical segments were involved in 9 cases, 4 in 20 cases, and 5 in 7 cases.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: All the cases were followed up for 6 months to 26 months. The mean recovery rate based on the scoring system of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association JOA was 51% (from 5.2 score to 10.2 score). The mean cervical physiological curvature was from (3.6±0.5) mm preoperatively to (9.1±0.7) mm postoperatively. No severe complications such as injuries of vertebral artery, nerve root and spinal cord or aggravation of spinal cord injury occurred. The satisfactory decompression of spinal cothe rd can be achieved by total laminectomy for multi-segmental OPLL and the internal fixation cervical lateral mass screw can perfectly reconstruct and maintain the cervical stability.