Cervical disk diseases. Part II: Operative procedures

In the treatment of cervical disk diseases, both the anterior and posterior procedures are needed. The cases have to be individualized according to the patient’s symptoms and the pathology. Anterior cervical disruption with painful discogenic necks with arm pain are treated with anterior cervical diskectomies and fusions. Cervical radiculopathies are more commonly treated with posterior laminoforaminotomies. Myeloradiculopathies with broad-based disk herniations are best treated with an anterior decompression and fusion. Myelopathy cases have to be individualized, and are treated either anterior or posterior; the anterior procedure is more common. This article deals with operative intervention, including positioning and the techniques of achieving decompression and stabilization.