CERVICAL LAMINECTOMY AND FORAMINOTOMY AS SURGICAL-TREATMENT OF CERVICAL SPONDYLOSIS - A FOLLOW-UP-STUDY WITH ANALYSIS OF FAILURES

Ninety patients were followed after undergoing multilevel cervical lam inectomy for cervical myeloradiculopathy secondary to cervical stenosi s. Follow-up data was obtained by chart review and phone interview for all patients; 20% were examined at follow-up as well; 77% of patients were improved, 13% without change, and 10% worse at follow-up. No pat ients deteriorated in the immediate postoperative period. Greater than 50% of severely disabled patients had an excellent result, and 78% im proved somewhat. It is concluded that cervical laminectomy is an effec tive procedure for treating patients with cervical spondylosis causing myeloradiculopathy. Reasons for failure of this procedure, although r arely identified on follow-up examination, are reviewed and briefly di scussed.