Minimally invasive central corpectomy for ossified posterior longitudinal ligament in the cervical spine

Minimally invasive central corpectomy (MICC) for cervical segmental ossified posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is described. The procedure of MICC includes upper- or lower-half central corpectomy of the involved cervical spine, transdiscal decompression of the adjacent disc level, dissection and partial removal of the OPLL, removal of the OPLL behind the vertebral body via these windows, and fusion with cylindrical titanium cages. Anterior plate fixation is not necessary. From January 2008 to December 2009 we surgically treated three patients with cervical OPLL by MICC. All three patients showed remarkable improvement of their symptoms within a few days after the operation. No neurological or radiological complication was observed during that period. MICC is beneficial in avoiding complete corpectomy and long fusion, usage of an anterior plate, and usage of a large external orthosis. MICC also reduces the risk of postoperative esophageal perforation due to a screw backing out of the plate.