BACKGROUND: We aimed to compare microscope-assisted anterior cervical surgery with traditional open-base surgery for treating cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients were grouped into microscope-assisted anterior cervical surgery group (case group, n=30) and conventional anterior cervical surgery group (control group, n=30). Baseline characteristics, intraoperative and post-operative indexes including operation time, blood loss amount, duration of hospitalization, visual analogue scale (VAS), and complication rate were recorded. The neurological functions of patients were assessed using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score. Furthermore, the corresponding rate of improved JOA score (RIS) in each group was also calculated to evaluate surgery outcomes.

RESULTS: The average blood loss amount and hospital stay duration in the case group were lower than in the control group (p<0.05). The post-operative VAS scores of both groups were decreased significantly. Particularly the post-operative VAS score in the case group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p<0.05). While the improvement rate of JOA scores in the case group was significantly higher than that in control group after cervical spine surgery. A significantly higher RIS rate was observed in the case group (p<0.05). Furthermore, post-operative complications of patients in the case group were lower than those in the control group (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Compared to conventional anterior cervical surgery, surgeries operated with microscope exhibit higher efficacy and safety including less bleeding amount, shorter operation time, released pain degree, improved neurological functions, and fewer incidences of complications.

Keywords: Electron Microscope Tomography, Neck Pain, Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament