Endoscopic Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy as a Treatment for Osseous Foraminal Stenosis

Endoscopic Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy in Bony Stenosis – A Review of the Literature

“…Studies including patients suffering from cervical lateral disc herniation showed clinical success rates of 96.6%-97% [6,7] and reoperation rates of 13.9% versus 18.6% [5,8]. In our study, postoperative complications occurred as 3 patients suffering from neck pain.…”

“…For radiculopathy caused by bony foraminal stenosis treated with endoscopic posterior cervical foraminotomy, the group of the authors' could show that there are high clinical success rates (90.7% according to Modified Odom's Criteria) [5]. Studies including patients suffering from cervical lateral disc herniation showed clinical success rates of 96.6%-97% [6,7] and reoperation rates of 13.9% versus 18.6% [5,8].…”

“…Oertel et al [5] included 43 patients that suffered from bony foraminal stenosis in up to 3 segments in their study. Postoperative Neck Disability Index was 18% compared to 3.33% in the group of Ye et al The group of Ye et al [12] however only included 9 patients suffering from bony foraminal stenosis in 1 segment only.…”

“…However, with an endoscopic system the ray of light can be placed directly in front of the pathology and an angled optic can be used for a better illumination as well as an enlarged view on the surgical field. Furthermore, the intraoperative view on the surgical field is not obstructed by any instruments as it happens in microscopic systems [5].…”

“…Furthermore, recent studies could show good clinical results for endoscopic posterior cervical foraminotomy in patients suffering from bony foraminal stenosis [5,[12][13][14]. Thus, by the time, a randomized controlled study for the microscopic vs. endoscopic technique in patients suffering from bony stenosis is still lacking.…”