Introduction to Posterior Cervical Surgery

There are two approaches to cervical spine surgery, one anterior and the other posterior. The anterior approach is usually used, while the posterior approach is less commonly used. When cervical spinal stenosis occurs, the anterior approach does not allow complete disc removal, and a posterior approach is required. The posterior approach is to cut the skin, subcutaneous tissue and muscle at the back of the neck to reach the spinous process and lamina of the cervical spine, open the window at one side of the lamina, and then turn the lamina after the window together with the spinous process all the way to the other side. The space of the cervical spinal canal will increase, playing the role of expanding and decompressing the spinal canal of cervical spinal stenosis, thus alleviating the symptoms of clinical spinal cord compression. This is the posterior approach of cervical spine surgery.