THE ANTERIOR APPROACH TO HIGH THORACIC (T1-T2) DISC HERNIATION

A patient with a T1-T2 disc herniation, operated on via the anterior a pproach, is presented. In a search of the literature we found 18 repor ted cases, all operated on by posterior or posterolateral approaches. The feasibility of the anterior discectomy in our case was established by preoperative magnetic resonance imaging of the upper thorax. We th ink that an anterior discectomy at the level of the upper thoracic spi ne can be easily performed in selected cases. The clinical picture of T1 root compression is described.