Laminectomy versus open-door laminoplasty for cervical spondylotic myelopathy: A clinical outcome analysis

Background: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is one of the most common diseases in the geriatric population. Decompressive laminectomy or laminoplasty is the predominant surgical procedure of choice, but there remains debate as to which procedure is optimal for managing CSM. Methods: Here, we retrospectively analyzed 64 patients with CSM undergoing laminectomy (39 patients) versus laminoplasty (25 patients). The data were collected included respective Japanese orthopedic association (JOA) scores, Nurick grades, and Visual analog scale (VAS) values preoperatively versus 12 months postoperatively. Results: The JOA score after 1 month improved in both groups utilizing laminectomy or laminoplasty. However, at 12 postoperative months, the JOA scores and Nurick grades showed greater improvement following laminoplasty, despite no differences in postoperative pain and complication rates. Conclusion: Patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy undergoing laminoplasty (25 patients) showed better 12-month postoperative outcomes (JOA scores and Nurick grades) versus those having laminectomies (39 patients). Keywords: Cervical laminectomy, Cervical myelopathy, Cervical spondylotic myelopathy, Laminoplasty, Open-door technique, Spinal cord decompression