Modified posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy for lateral cervical disc herniation: the vertical anchoring technique

Purpose During the long-term practice of percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy (PECD) at our institution, we have modified the protocol to include the vertical anchoring technique (VAT), which we will describe in detail in this article. The objective of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes associated with the conventional posterior PECD technique with that associated with the modified technique to determine the safety and efficacy of the latter technique. Methods From December 2014 to January 2016, a total of 44 patients with single cervical disc herniation were randomly divided into two groups. One group underwent conventional posterior PECD, and the other group underwent posterior PECD combined with VAT. The operative time, fluoroscopy times and perioperative complications were recorded. The visual analog scale (VAS) for neck and arm pain and the modified MacNab criteria at 1 day, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery were used to evaluate the postoperative outcomes. Results All patients underwent surgery successfully without severe complications. The operative time and intraoperative fluoroscopy times were significantly less in patients treated with VAT than in those who underwent conventional posterior PECD ( P 0.05). There was no recurrence in either group during the follow-up period. Conclusions Although the clinical outcomes of the two surgical techniques were similar, the VAT decreased the operative time and intraoperative fluoroscopy times in posterior PECD surgery. The learning curve for posterior PECD could be shortened by using the VAT. Graphical abstract These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.