The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery published an article about recent treatment trends in cervical spine disorders.
Here are five key trends from the article:
1. The one-year outcomes for posterior cervical microendoscopic decompression are similar to those reported for standard foraminotomy and anterior discectomy and fusion.
2. There is a greater risk of durotomies for patients undergoing posterior cervical microscopic decompression than traditional foraminotomy. Durotomies occurred in 1 percent to 4 percent of the posterior cervical microendoscopic decompression cases in a recent study.
3. Patients with abnormal affective disorders often report lower patient satisfaction. However, patient-reported outcomes don't always correlate with patient satisfaction.
4. Smoking, lower-level educational status and younger patients are more likely to have lower satisfaction scores. Important provider-specific aspects of patient satisfaction include the provider's ability to explain conditions to the patient, perception of empathy and coordinated teamwork.
5. For patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, a recent study shows there aren't any differences between patients treated with the anterior and posterior approach and both groups improved.