Investigation of Radiologic Landmarks Used to Decide the Appropriate Surgical Approach for Upper Thoracic Ventral Degenerative Disorders.

BACKGROUND

Ventral lesions of upper thoracic spinal cord due to degenerative diseases are rare and often have poor operative outcomes. Anterior decompression of the lesion is difficult because of the local anatomy. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate reproducible anatomic measurements for selecting the best surgical approach for anterior decompression of ventral lesions of upper thoracic spinal cord.

METHODS

Cases of anterior decompression of ventral lesions of upper thoracic spinal cord due to degenerative diseases at our institution from 2004 to 2015 were assessed. Several lines were drawn on magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans of midsagittal sections of the upper thoracic spine to evaluate the most optimal approach for treating upper thoracic lesions. A line from the suprasternal notch to the vertebral body (suprasternal notch to vertebral body [SV] line) was accepted as baseline.

RESULTS

The caudal edge of the lesion was above the SV line in 10 cases, each of which was treated via an anterior approach without sternotomy. The caudal edge was below the SV line in 7 cases, 5 of which underwent surgery with the sternum-splitting or transthoracic approach. The other 2 lesions were approached via an obliquely deviated route without sternotomy. The SV line sometimes changed with patients' posture alterations.

CONCLUSIONS

The SV line, a useful landmark for upper thoracic lesions, is not sufficiently reliable because it changes according to the patient's posture. By leaning in the direction of the surgical microscope, more caudal upper thoracic lesions can be reached than when using the SV line as a surgical landmark.