Minimally invasive posterior cervical foraminotomy versus anterior cervical fusion and arthroplasty: Systematic review and updated meta-analysis

Introduction

This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis that investigates the efficacy of different surgical methods for treating cervical disc herniation or cervical foraminal stenosis.

Research question

The research aimed to compare the efficacy of Minimally Invasive Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy (MI-PCF) with anterior approaches, namely Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) and Cervical Disc Arthroplasty (CDA).

Material and methods

The study included a comprehensive review of eight articles that compared ACDF and MI-PCF, and four articles that compared CDA to MI-PCF.

Results

The results indicated no significant difference in surgical duration, hospital stay, complication rates, and reoperation rates between MI-PCF and ACDF. However, when comparing CDA with MI-PCF, it was found that CDA had a higher complication rate, while MI-PCF had a higher reoperation rate.

Discussion and conclusion

Despite these findings, the study recommends MI-PCF as the preferred surgical method for cervical radiculopathy, owing to the advancements in minimally invasive techniques. However, these findings are preliminary, and further research with longer follow-up periods and larger sample sizes is necessary to confirm these findings and to further explore the potential advantages and disadvantages of these surgical methods.