Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 1, 2025
Modified Posterior Vertebral Column Resection for Patients with Thoracolumbar Kyphotic Deformity
Published on: September 16, 2022
Posterior Decompression and Fusion with Vertical Pressure Procedure in the Treatment of Multilevel Cervical OPLL with
Cheng Li1, Yunli Mei1, Lei Li1
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, P.R. China.
Objective:
To report the outcomes and feasibility of a new technique to change K-line (-) to K-line (+) via only a posterior approach to treat multilevel non-continuous cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (C-OPLL) with kyphotic deformity.
Methods:
In this study, 17 consecutive cases of patients who underwent vertical pressure procedure (VP) combined with posterior cervical single-open-door laminoplasty and instrumented fusion from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019 were enrolled. The following radiographic parameters: C2-C7 Cobb angle, local Cobb angle, extent of OPLL, and the distance from OPLL to the K-line(DK) were measured and analyzed. Clinically, the JOA score, VAS-N and VAS-A, NDI, and complications were collected from medical records to evaluate the clinical outcomes.
Results:
All 17 cases shifted from K-line (-) to K-line (+).Comparing the preoperative images to the final follow-up images, the mean C2-7 Cobb angle changed from -6.94° ± 8.30° to 8.18° ± 4.43°, and the local Cobb angle altered from -9.12° ± 8.68° to 6.65° ± 6.11°. The mean DK increased from -2.64 ± 1.52 mm to 3.09 ± 2.19 mm. One patient showed C5 palsy and recovered within 3 months. The mean JOA score increased from 8.88 ± 2.11 to 14.71 ± 1.36. The average NDI decreased from 20.65 ± 7.80 to 8.94 ± 4.93. The mean VAS-N and VAS-A decreased from 3.44 ± 1.80 and 4.69 ± 1.97 to 1.25 ± 0.86 and 1.38 ± 1.16. All patients were followed up for at least 1 year.
Conclusion:
A new technique added to posterior decompression and fusion (PDF), the vertical pressure procedure effectively corrects K-line (-) to K-line (+) and avoids the shortcomings of conventional anterior decompression and fusion (ADF) as well as PDF to provide a relatively safe and adequate decompression, cervical realignment. It pronounced satisfactory clinical outcome for extensive non-continuous OPLL with kyphotic deformity even though OPLL remains ventral to the spinal cord.
