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Study: Laminoplasty significantly improves outcomes, quality of life in patients with acute SCI
When they compared the benefits of conservative treatment and laminoplasty in patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury due to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, investigators from China found that surgery improved outcomes and reduced perioperative complications perioperatively, according to a study in The Spine Journal.
“Most of the [ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament] OPLL patients displayed incomplete spinal cord injury after minor trauma,” Yong Gu, MD, and colleagues at The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University in Suzhou, China, wrote in the study. “Although spontaneous improvement of [spinal cord injury] SCI without surgery is often observed, laminoplasty has more satisfactory outcomes, prevents late compression of cord, and reduces perioperative complications, although without significant benefit in cervical alignment and range of motion.”
Gu and colleagues analyzed the results of 31 patients with OPLL who underwent laminoplasty and 29 patients with OPLL who had conservative treatment. Patients in the laminoplasty group had shorter length of stay in the hospital, less complications, improved motor and sensory scores, and improved bodily pain and mental health scores.
“Future studies will investigate laminoplasty in a prospective, randomized, and controlled way with a longer follow-up,” the authors wrote. “Despite these limitations, laminoplasty is strongly recommended for ASCI patients because of the satisfactory outcomes and minimal perioperative morbidity.” — by Jeff Craven
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.