Background: Posterior laminectomy with instrumented fusion is a standard procedure for treating degenerative\ncervical kyphosis with stenosis (DCKS). Two major disadvantages of the surgery are adhesion of the dural membrane\nwith significant disfiguring of cervical spine and a small fusion bed around the lateral mass. One of the advantages\nof laminoplasty over laminectomy is the protection of the dural membrane from adhesion through preservation of\nposterior bony elements. This study presents the surgical outcomes of laminoplasty, instead of laminectomy, as a\ndecompression method applied in posterior instrumented fusion for DCKS.\nMethods: A consecutive single center series of twenty cases between 2008 and 2011 were retrospectively reviewed.\nThey were diagnosed as DCKS and received anterior cervical fusion followed by expansive open door laminoplasty and\nlateral mass or pedicle screw instrumented fusion. We collected the functional scores and changes of cervical curvature\non the basis of dynamic lateral films preoperatively and postoperatively. We used computed tomography scans and\nmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate the status of fusion and decompression.\nResults: The mean age at the time of surgery was 67.6 �± 15.2 years. Half of the patients were older than 75 years. All\nfunctional scores and cervical lordotic curvatures markedly improved. No recurrence of spinal cord compression was\ncaused by closure of opened laminae, according to MRI study that was conducted 12 months postoperatively. No\npseudarthrosis or hardware loosening was observed 24 months postoperatively.\nConclusion: The surgical aims for DCKS are adequate decompression, correction of kyphosis, and solid instrumented\nfusion. Laminoplasty applied in cervical fusion as a decompression method seems to lead to a favorable functional\nrecovery and reduces the complications of perineural adhesion that typically occur after laminectomy. In addition,\nlaminoplasty affords an additional fusion bed at the hinge side and this advantage benefits solid fusion mass formation\nfor the patients who suffered from DCKS.
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