Full-endoscopic cervical arcocristectomy for the treatment of spinal stenosis: results of a cadaver study

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is a multifactorial disease that is directly correlated by the degree of spinal stenosis. Surgery remains the best therapy. A posterior approach is often recommended in patients with multilevel dorsal cervical compression. Aim of the present experimental study was to evaluate the feasibility of a full-endoscopic arcocristectomy in a cadaver study. We performed full-endoscopic arcocristectomy on ten formalin-fixed human cervical specimens. Before and after decompression we obtained high-resolution computerized tomography (CT) data to evaluate the diameter of the cervical spinal canal. Overall, surgery was possible on 55 segments in ten cadaver specimens. A mean increase of 4.1 mm (+/- 1.2 mm) in the sagittal diameter of the cervical spinal canal could be achieved (p < 0.05, t test). The full-endoscopic arcrocristectomy is feasible and achieves a sufficient decompression. This minimal invasive technique protects most of the dorsal structures and therefore probably preserves biomechanical functions, which has to be proven in future studies.