[Surgical treatment of cervical disk displacement. Anterior or posterior approach?]

This study is a retrospective analysis of the treatment of cervical soft disc herniation comparing anterior and posterior approach.

Twenty eight patients presenting with cervico-brachial radiculopathy secondary to acute soft posterolateral disc herniation were reviewed. Cases with myelopathy or radiculopathy secondary to chronic spondylosis were excluded. Involved level was C5-C6 or C6-C7 in most cases. There were 14 females and 14 males. Age at operation averaged 44 years. Fourteen patients underwent an anterior approach with discectomy and fusion using autologous iliac bone graft. Average age was 46 years in this group with an average follow-up of 30 months. Average duration of surgery was 2 hours. Average hospital stay was 6 days. Fourteen patients underwent a posterior approach with partial lateral laminotomy extending medially for several millimeters over the facet joint. Extruded disc material was removed in 10 cases. No curettage was performed. Average age at surgery was 41 years with an average follow-up of 36 months in this group. Average duration of surgery was 70 minutes. Average hospital stay was 6 days.

Patients were evaluated 3 months post-operatively and at their maximum follow-up. At 3 months follow-up, no patient complained of radicular pain; occasional cervical pain was present in 5 cases following posterior surgery but was not observed at late follow-up. Return to work was possible on an average of 3 months in both series. Results were graded as excellent, good, fair and poor. At late follow-up, in patients with a posterior approach, there were 8 excellent results, 5 good results with neck fatigue at work, and 1 fair result requiring analgesics. In patients with an anterior approach, there were 7 excellent results, 6 good results, and 1 fair result. Two patients complained of pain at the iliac donor site.

These results suggest that the anterior approach gives better short term results, but no significant difference is observed between anterior and posterior approaches a few years after surgery. Although the anterior approach is more appropriate than the posterior one for the treatment of central disc herniation, the posterior approach may be considered as an alternative to anterior discectomy and fusion for antero-lateral soft disc herniation.