Fully-Endoscopic Posterior Cervical 2-Level Foraminotomy With Total Pediculectomy for Adjacent-Level Foraminal Stenosis in Severe Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: A Technical Note With 1-Year Follow-up

Abstract

Although the conventional anterior approach is the gold-standard procedure for multilevel cervical spondylotic radiculopathy, the fully-endoscopic posterior approach has recently become more popular. We present the case of a 73-year-old female patient with neck pain radiating to right shoulder and arm. The patient had adjacent-level cervical foraminal stenosis at C5–6 and C6–7 on right side and was managed with modified fully-endoscopic posterior foraminotomy at C5–6 and C6–7 with total pediculectomy of C6. The patient exhibited excellent clinical results, without any instability during long-term follow-up. Fully-endoscopic posterior cervical 2-level foraminotomy using total pediculectomy can be applied in patients for whom the anterior cervical approach is contraindicated, with the added advantages of the minimally invasive posterior approach. The technique has an extensive learning curve and needs to be selected according to the pathology.