Comparative Study of Anterior Transvertebral Foraminotomy and Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion for Unilateral Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy

OBJECTIVE: To study the compared surgical and radio-graphic outcomes of Transvertebral foraminotomy (TVF) with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in patients with unilateral cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR).METHODS: We performed a retrospective comparative study of 72 consecutive patients with 1-or 2-level CSR treated with ACDF or TVF. 27 patients who underwent TVF (group T) and 45 patients who underwent ACDF (group A) with a minimum 2-year follow-up were enrolled. We evaluated clinical outcomes and radiological assessment. Clinical outcome included Visual analog scale (VAS) scores for axial, arm pain at preoperatively and final follow-up. VAS score for painful swallowing was also evaluated 1 week after surgery. Radiological assessment included C2-7 sagittal Cobb angle (C2-7 CA), range of mo-tion (ROM) of C2-7 CA, the height, angle and ROM of the functional spinal unit (FSU), and tip of the spinous process of the operated segment. We also evaluated the disc height, FSU angle, and ROM of the FSU at the cranial adjacent segment.RESULTS: Both groups had good clinical outcomes. Soft tissue swelling was significantly less prominent in group T than that for group A. VAS scores for painful swallowing is lower in group T without significant difference. The ROM of C2-7 CA, FSU, and spinous processes demonstrated a sig-n ificant reduction in group A compared with group T.(P < 0.05). Disc height at the cranial adjacent segment was maintained in group T.CONCLUSIONS: TVF is as effective as ACDF for unilat-eral CSR and preserves whole cervical spine and segmental alignment.