THE MICROSURGICAL TRANSORAL DECOMPRESSION FOR TREATMENT OF DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE CRANIOCERVICAL JUNCTION

Besides the microsurgical ventral decompression for treatment of cervi cal disc prolapses, combined with an intercorporal fusion using an aut ologous bone graft from the iliac crest and a plate osteosynthesis, th e microsurgical, transoral approach to the craniocervical junction has proven to be an effective procedure for adequate indications. Even fo r surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of the craniocervical ju nction ventral, anterolateral, lateral and dorsal approaches are appli cable alone or in combination. The special anatomic and functional con ditions of this region, however, obviously require that the indication al criteria for the various approaches differ from those selected for the other cervical segments. The postoperative complication risk requi res that particulary critical consideration be given to the question o f isolated transoral interventions. The same holds true for the questi on as the necessity for additional ventral stabilisation in combined d orsoventral interventions. This report is about 20 patients who underw ent transoral decompression, about the indications and the procedure t ypical problems.