Degenerative cervical spondylolisthesis: diagnosis and management in five cases

Five cases of degenerative subaxial spondylolisthesis of osteoarthritic etiology associated with significant cervical spondylotic myelopathy are described with treatment recommendations. Diagnostic studies included cervical plain films with flexion/extension, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography/myelography. All patients had at least 2 mm of spondylolisthesis at one or more levels, and two patients had movement evident on flexion/extension films. Posterior laminectomy with AME (American Medical Electronics, Richardson, TX, U.S.A.) lateral mass plate and bone fusion was successfully performed in all five patients, three of whom improved one grade on the Nurick classification, whereas the rest improved within the same grade.