Is posterior spinal cord shifting by extensive posterior decompression clinically significant for multisegmental cervical spondylotic myelopathy?
STUDY DESIGN: Posterior cervical spinal cord shifting after selective single laminectomy associated with partial laminotomies was compared with that after bilateral open-door laminoplasty between the C3 and C7 levels in relation to the clinical results of each procedure. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical significance of posterior spinal cord shifting after extensive cervical laminoplasty. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Current techniques used for cervical laminoplasty for multisegmental cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) are consecutively performed between the C3 and C6 or C7 levels with expectation that the spinal cord will shift backward to keep it clear of anterior compression. However, the clinical significance of the posterior spinal cord shifting remains controversial, and there has been no report verifying it by comparing limited posterior decompression procedures with conventional extensive ones. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with consecutive 2- to 3-level CSM who underwen
