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C3-6 laminoplasty takes over C3-7 laminoplasty with significantly lower incidence of axial neck pain

European Spine Journal volume 15, pages 1375–1379 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Five-lamina (C3-7) procedure is the most popular cervical laminoplasty and there have been no studies on the most appropriate number of laminae to be opened. We prospectively reduced the range of laminoplasty from C3-7 to C3-6 in 2002 and compared the outcome of C3-6 laminoplasty (n=37) to that of C3-7 laminoplasty (n=28). In both groups, neurological gain was satisfactory, radiographic changes were minimal, and postoperative MRI indicated sufficient expansion of the dura and the spinal cord. Average operating period was significantly shorter, and length of the operative wound was significantly less in the C3-6 group than in the C3-7 group. Postoperative axial neck pain was significantly rarer after C3-6 laminoplasty than after C3-7 laminoplasty (5.4% vs. 29%, P=0.015). Due to its simplicity and various benefits, C3-6 laminoplasty is a promising alternative to conventional C3-7 laminoplasty for treatment of multisegmental compression myelopathy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Spine Surgery, Osaka Kosei-Nenkin Hospital, Osaka, Japan

    N. Hosono

  2. Department of Orthopedics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan

    H. Sakaura, Y. Mukai, R. Fujii & H. Yoshikawa

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  1. N. Hosono
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  2. H. Sakaura
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  3. Y. Mukai
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  4. R. Fujii
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  5. H. Yoshikawa
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Correspondence to N. Hosono.

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Hosono, N., Sakaura, H., Mukai, Y. et al. C3-6 laminoplasty takes over C3-7 laminoplasty with significantly lower incidence of axial neck pain. Eur Spine J 15, 1375–1379 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-006-0089-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-006-0089-9

Keywords

  • Myelopathy
  • Axial neck pain
  • Laminoplasty
  • Complication
  • Seventh cervical vertebra