Endoscopic anterior cervical discectomy under epidurogram guidance.

ABSTRACT

Cervical discectomy is commonly required for spinal cord and nerve compression disorders. Currently, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is the standard procedure for the treatment of cervical disc herniations and cervical degenerative disorders, whereas endoscopic cervical discectomy is considered an important alternative. Despite the advancement in surgical technology, endoscopically removing hard pathological tissues remains challenging. Inspired by lumbar epidurogram-guided decompression, we have developed an epidurogram-guided endoscopic cervical decompression technique. The technique uses contrast dye through cervical discography to generate an epidurogram. Under fluoroscopic view, the spinal cord is posterior to the contrast line. The endoscopic instruments can safely reach the epidural space, if it's necessary, as long as they stay anterior to the contrast line. We have used this technique to treat both soft and hard cervical disc herniations, and we have found it makes the surgical procedures safer when more aggressive decompression is required.