Minimally Invasive Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy and Discectomy

Cervical radiculopathy is a common problem typically encountered by spinal surgeons. It is defined as a syndrome of pain and/or sensorimotor deficits due to compression of a cervical nerve root. Common causes of the syndrome include cervical disc disease, spondylosis, instability, trauma, and tumors. Most patients (75–90%) with cervical radiculopathy will have symptomatic improvement with conservative, nonoperative management, which includes treatments such as physical therapy, cervical traction, and epidural steroid injections. However, when patients either fail conservative management or begin to experience progressive neurologic deficits, surgical intervention is warranted. The two most common procedures are anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF).