Application of the Ridge Board Technique in Endoscopic Treatment of Cervical Stenosis: Surgical Technique and Preliminary Results.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to introduce a new surgical technique for the decompression of cervical stenosis (CS) and characterize its early clinical and radiographic results.

METHODS

Thirty-four consecutive patients with CS who needed surgical intervention were recruited. All patients underwent full-endoscopic cervical laminectomy using the "Ridge Board" technique. All patients were followed postoperatively for >1 year. The preoperative and final follow-up evaluations included the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score for neurological assessment, visual analog scale for axial pain, C2-C7 Cobb angle for cervical sagittal alignment, and Short Form-12 for health-related quality of life. The postoperative complications were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 34 patients (23 males and 11 females) were enrolled in this study. The mean follow-up duration was 21 ± 9.2 months, with an average operative time of 74 ± 24 minutes. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography imaging confirmed adequate neural decompression at the treated levels in all cases. Postoperative assessments revealed significant improvements in the visual analog scale scores, Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores, and Short Form-12 composite measures, while cervical lordosis was well maintained on postoperative radiographic evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS

The "ridge board" technique, for the first time, abstracts the "base of spinous process" into the "ridge board" construct, providing surgeons with a systematic and reproducible anatomical reference. It is a novel, safe, effective, and minimally invasive procedure for treating CS.