ObjectiveIn 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.MethodsAll 22 patients treated for CSR with foraminal bony stenosis using posterior cervical full-endoscopic technique were analyzed since Dec 1, 2016, to Apr 30, 2020. 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. The relevant indicators were observed on admission, at postoperative 1 week and 3 months, and at the last follow-up.ResultsThe operation time was 141.6 ± 13.7 min. 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). There were no statistical differences between VAS or JOA at different postoperative time points (p > 0.05). The height, anteroposterior diameter and area of intervertebral foramen after operation were significantly increased compared with before operation (p < 0.05).ConclusionPosterior 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.

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Objective To investigate the influence of table height on image quality and radiation dose of chest CT scan with automatic exposure control (AEC) technology. Materials and methods A chest phantom was scanned with AEC technology at 11 different table heights from 100 to 200 mm with 130 mm table height (iso-center was positioned at the midaxillary line of the phantom) used as reference center position. Image quality and radiation doses at different heights were statistically analyzed. Results Compared with 130 mm table height, the radiation dose of chest CT scan changed about 15% with the table height at 160 mm, or table height at 100 mm. The trend of the tube current-time (mAs) curve at different table heights was the same. In the thoracic inlet area, mAs changed most obviously, compared to the heart area. The noise of the image at higher table heights was not significantly different from the reference table height, but lower table heights increased the noise. When the height of the table was decreased from 130 to 100 mm, the size of the measured phantom changed greatly, by 5.22%, and when the height of the table was increased from 130 to 160 mm, the measured phantom size decreased to 95.07%. The score of the subjective image quality was lower when the table height was lowered. Conclusion With table height settled between anterior axillary line and midaxillary line of the phantom, acceptable subjective image quality could be obtained with a lower radiation dose.