Cervical laminectomy complications

The overall incidence of neurological complications has been reported as 0.18% ¹⁾ and increases with severe cervical kyphosis correction (2.6%) ²⁾. Late neurological complications can be avoided in posterior corrective surgery for cervical kyphosis by prophylactic foraminotomies in the presence of foraminal stenosis, kyphosis correction that does not exceed 9.7° per spinal segment and avoiding kyphosis correction at C4–C5, which is where the largest posterior shift of the spinal cord occurs leading toC5 palsy ^{3) 4)}. This is a common problem but most cases resolve spontaneously. Similar to anterior surgery, spinal cord monitoring is a good adjunct monitoring tool.

Cervical laminectomy may cause postoperative cervical kyphotic deformity leading to segmental instability over time. Laminoplasty may be an alternative procedure to laminectomy, as it protects the spine against post-laminectomy kyphosis; however, similar to laminectomy, laminoplasty may cause sagittal plane deformities by destructing or weakening the dorsal tension band.

PEEK rod-cervical lateral mass screw systems may be useful in motion preservation surgery of the posterior cervical region ⁵⁾.

see Cervical kyphotic deformity.

Postoperative discitis….