Iceberg floating technique of ventral decompression for thoracic spinal stenosis and myelopathy: Technical note and...

To propose a novel technique named iceberg floating technique for treating severe thoracic spinal stenosis and myelopathy caused by ventral compression and investigate its clinical results.

From October 2020 to January 2023, patients presenting with severe thoracic spinal stenosis and myelopathy caused by ossification of posterior longitudinal ligamentum (OPLL) or calcified thoracic disc herniation (CTDH) were included in this study. All patients were treated with iceberg floating technique, the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score preoperatively and postoperatively at the final follow-up were reviewed. Pre-and post-operative CT and MRI scans were applied for the assessment of decompression.

A total of 13 patients were included in this study, consisting of six females and seven males, with an average age of 51.6 years (ranging from 30 to 66 years). There were six cases diagnosed as OPLL and seven cases as CTDH. The mean follow-up period after the operation was 13.0 months (ranging from 7 months to 32 months). The average duration of the operation was 194.6 min (ranging from 130 min to 270 min), with an average intraoperative blood loss of 540.8 ml (ranging from 240 ml to 1200 ml). The average ODI score before the operation was 68.6 (ranging from 50 to 84), which decreased to an average score of 20.3 (ranging from 12 to 28) at follow-up. All patients achieved MCID at follow-up.

The iceberg floating technique is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of thoracic spinal stenosis and myelopathy caused by OPLL and CTDH.