Posterior Cervical Full-endoscopic Technique for the Treatment of Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy with Foraminal Bony Stenosis: A Retrospective Study

Background: In the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR), spinal endoscopy has been developed vigorously in the past 30 years. However, its effectiveness and subsequent problem of cervical spine stability have always been the controversial hotspots. This study aims to conduct a retrospective study using posterior cervical full-endoscopic technique for the treatment of CSR with foraminal bony stenosis, and evaluate its clinical effect and application value. Methods All 22 patients treated for CSR with foraminal bony stenosis using posterior cervical full-endoscopic technique were involved and retrospectively analyzed. The data collection included operation time, length of stay, wound healing, surgical complications, visual analog scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores, intervertebral foramen diameter, intervertebral foramen area and cervical instability. Results The operation time was 141.6 ± 13.7 minutes. The length of stay was 6.0 ± 2.5 days. VAS and JOA at different time points after operation were decreased compared with before operation ( p   0.05). The height, anteroposterior diameter and area of intervertebral foramen after operation were significantly increased compared with before operation ( p  < 0.05). Conclusion Posterior cervical full-endoscopic technique shows the advantages of smaller invasion, faster recovery, significant effectiveness and fewer complications in our study. Meanwhile, it has little influence on the ROM and stability of the cervical spine. Therefore, it is a minimally invasive, safe and effective surgical method for the treatment of CSR with foraminal bony stenosis.