CG-clip expansive open-door laminoplasty: a technical note

The CG clip is a device designed for use in expansive open-door laminoplasty with both a spacer and means of attachment in a single unit. It provides an effective technique for open-door laminoplasty, which obviates the need for bone grafting or complex internal fixation by providing dynamic stabilization of the open laminae. A number of techniques for expansive open-door laminoplasty have been devised for the decompression of the spinal cord and nerve roots in cervical spondylotic myeloradiculopathy. Each of these techniques requires some degree of internal fixation and/or bone grafting. The CG clip is a single device which is composed of both a spacer and a spring clip for attachment. The spacer ensures a 4-5-mm sagittal expansion of the cervical spinal canal. The spacer is held in place along the lateral cut margin of the laminae by a spring-wound titanium clip, which folds over the central spinous process of the unilaterally elevated laminar block. In all respects except for grafting and internal fixation, the surgery is performed as for a standard expansive open-door laminoplasty. Sixteen of the first 24 patients to undergo this procedure improved at least one point on the Neurosurgical Cervical Spine Scale. Of the remaining eight patients, four remained the same and four deteriorated. The authors have found the CG-clip laminoplasty technique quick and easy to perform, with early results in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myeloradiculopathy consistent with those of other decompressive procedures.