Posterior cervical foraminotomy was first described by Spurling and Scoville. With the incorporation of the operating microscope and microsurgical techniques, there has been renewed interest in this approach for laterally placed cervical disk prolapse.

Twenty-nine patients (20 males and 9 females) with ages varying from 31 to 55 years underwent posterior cervical microdiscectomy for laterally placed cervical disk prolapse at 30 levels. Surgical procedure employed by us for the posterior cervical microdiscectomy is described in the article.

All the patients had relief from radiculopathy following the surgery. No major complication was noted in our series. One patient developed transient nerve root deficit which improved, over 6 weeks. No fusion was required in any case. Hence, all the complications of anterior approach and fusion could be avoided.

Posterior cervical microdiscectomy is a safe and effective approach for the treatment of laterally placed cervical disk prolapse. In selected cases, this approach provides excellent results with minimal complications.

Pai SB, Raghuram G, Srihari BG. Posterior Cervical Microdiscectomy. J Spinal Surg 2015;2(2):33-36.