Sagittal Balance Correction in Cervical Compressive Myelopathy: Is it Helpful?

Background Laminectomy with lateral mass and transfacet fixation are widely accepted surgical techniques for cervical compressive myelopathy (CCM). Objective To evaluate multilevel fixation with additional fixation of C7-T1 transfacet junction may help achieve better surgical outcome both in short- and long-term follow-up. Material and Methods Based on utilizing C7-T1 transfacet junction fixation, 102 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for CCM were divided into Group A: cervical laminectomy with lateral mass fixation only, and Group B: cervical laminectomy and lateral mass fixation including C7-T1 transfacet junction in fixation. The groups were compared for at 3 months and 2 years postsurgery for persistence of preoperative symptoms, neurological outcome, and sagittal balance (T1 slope) of cervical spine. Results The average age of the study population was 59.11 ± 12.05 years with 71 (69.6%) men. There were no significant differences between the groups neither for presenting complaints nor for postoperative complications. Patients in group B had lesser length of postsurgical hospital stay (7.57 ± 6.61 vs 5.55 ± 1.81; P = 0.018). At 3 months follow-up, patients in group B had higher motor power of upper limb (3.64 ± 1.91 vs 4.47 ± 0.57; P < 0.001), lower limbs (5.07 ± 1.72 vs 5.92 ± 1.13; P = 0.005), and total modified Japanese orthopedic association score (MJOS) score (13.68 ± 3.42 vs 15.51 ± 1.87; P = 0.001). Patients in groups B had lower postoperative T1 slope scores (26.93 ± 8.73 vs 17.60 ± 4.97; P = <0.001). At 2 years follow-up of 53 patients, patients in group B had a better upper limb motor function (3.77 ± 1.14 vs 4.44 ± 0.50; P = 0.021) and total MJOS score (13.85 ± 3.49 vs. 15.37 ± 1.86; P < 0.052). Conclusion Normalizing sagittal balance in patients with CCM by cervical laminectomy and posterior fixation including cervical thoracic junction (C7-T1 transfacet junctional fixation) may significantly improve neurological outcome both in short-term and long-term follow-up.