title: Results of anterior discectomy without fusion for treatment of cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy.
abstract: In this retrospective study 180 patients were submitted to anterior discectomy without fusion for cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. Ninety-five patients presented with single-level discopathy, the main symptom being radiculopathy in this group. Eighty-five patients presented with multiple-level discopathy, the main symptom being myelopathy instead of radiculopathy. No serious complications were observed in either group. In the single-level discopathy group the improvement of the radiculopathy was 94.7% and of the myelopathy, 87.5%, whereas in the multiple-level discopathy group the improvement of the myelopathy was 57.1% and of the radiculopathy, 66.6%. It is concluded that anterior cervical discectomy without interbody fusion is a safe and effective surgical method for the treatment of radiculopathy and less so for myelopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Army Veterans Administration Hospital (NIMTS), Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tegos
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rizos
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papathanasiu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kyriakopulos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D017586:Diskectomy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000628:therapy; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots