The February issue of Spine includes a study examining the impact of surgical planning and neurological outcomes for the anterior approach to remove disc herniation at C7-T1.
The researchers performed a retrospective study of 19 patients who underwent surgery for a C7-T1 disc herniation with a review of the medical records, operative reports and imaging studies. The clinical presentation was predominantly motor deficit in intrinsic hand muscles and patients usually improved after surgery.
All patients underwent the anterior cervical supramanubrial approach with microdiscectomy and fusion, and the anterior cervical plate fixation was used in nine of the cases; the rest of the patients received a standalone intervertebral device.
"An anterior cervical supramanubrial approach was easily accomplished in all patients," the authors concluded. "Motor deficit was the most common surgical indication."
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