Exoscopic Minimally Invasive Open-Door Laminoplasty for Cervical Myelopathy: A Technical Note and Preliminary Analysis of Clinical Outcomes during the Acute Postoperative Period

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Expansive open-door laminoplasty results in favorable clinical outcomes for cervical myelopathy. However, some postoperative complications associated with surgical invasiveness, such as axial neck pain and kyphosis, have not been resolved. The use of an exoscope, which is a recently introduced novel magnification tool, allows for traditional open-door laminoplasty with minimal invasiveness. Therefore, we propose the use of exoscopic minimally invasive open-door laminoplasty (exLAP) and present its clinical outcomes during the acute postoperative period. Methods: A total of 28 patients who underwent open-door laminoplasty at C3–C6 were reviewed. Of these patients, 17 underwent exLAP (group M) and 11 underwent conventional Hirabayashi open-door laminoplasty (group H). Outcomes were evaluated using numerical rating scale (NRS) scores for neck pain and the frequency of oral analgesic use from postoperative day 1 to 7. Results: The NRS score for neck pain was significantly lower for patients in group M than for those in group H. Conclusions: ExLAP is a novel, practical, and minimally invasive surgical technique that may alleviate the postoperative axial pain of patients with cervical myelopathy.