• Vincent C Traynelis, Paul M Arnold, Daryl R Fourney, Richard J Bransford, Dena J Fischer, and Andrea C Skelly.
• Professor of Neurosurgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612 Professor of Neurosurgery, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS 66160 Professor of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Saskatchewan, 103 Hospital Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N0W8 Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104 Spectrum Research, Inc., 705 S 9th, Suite 203, Tacoma, WA 98405.
• Spine. 2013 Sep 10.

AbstractStudy Design. Systematic Review.Objective. To perform an evidence synthesis of the literature assessing the efficacy of arthroplasty, oblique corpectomy without fusion, and skip laminectomy to treat symptomatic cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM).Summary of Background Data. Traditionally, patients with symptomatic cervical spinal cord compression due to degenerative disease have been treated with anterior or posterior approaches or both. Recent reports suggest that there are several non-traditional management strategies which merit attention. The anterior procedures include decompression and anterior reconstruction with an artificial disc, and oblique corpectomy without fusion. A posterior option is decompression, utilizing the skip laminectomy technique.Methods. We conducted a systematic search in Medline and the Cochrane Collaboration Library for literature published through October 15, 2012 on human studies published in the English language containing abstracts to answer the following key questions: (1) Is there evidence that artificial disc replacement (ADR) following neural decompression results in equal or improved outcomes compared to anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) for CSM? (2) Describe the outcomes of oblique corpectomy without fusion for CSM. (3) Is there evidence that skip laminectomy results in equal or improved outcomes compared to laminoplasty for CSM?Results. The initial literature search yielded 141 unique, potentially relevant citations, which were evaluated against the inclusion/exclusion criteria set a priori. A total of 10 studies were selected for inclusion. For question one, two studies suggested that neurologic outcomes favored ADR compared to ACDF, while functional and pain outcomes were inconsistently reported. For question two, five reported case series suggested favorable neurologic, functional and pain outcomes associated with oblique corpectomy in subjects with CSM, compared to the pretreatment condition. For question three, three studies comparing laminoplasty to skip laminectomy suggested similar neurologic outcomes between treatment groups, although functional and pain outcomes were inconsistently reported.Conclusion. A paucity of high-quality literature exists regarding treatment outcomes associated with arthroplasty, oblique corpectomy without fusion, and skip laminectomy for symptomatic CSM. Comparative prospective studies with long-term follow-up and standardized outcome measures are needed to appropriately assess treatment outcomes associated with these alternative techniques.Recommendation #1. No recommendation can be made from comparative literature regarding treatment outcomes comparing ADR to ACDF for CSM.Overall Strength of Evidence. InsufficientStrength of Recommendation. StrongRecommendation #2. No recommendation can be made from comparative literature regarding treatment outcomes comparing laminoplasty to skip laminectomy for CSM.Overall Strength of Evidence. LowStrength of Recommendation. StrongSummary Statement. Oblique corpectomy is an option in selected cases of CSM. It should not be considered a first line treatment strategy due to the relatively high morbidity associated with this procedure.

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