• Qingyu Jiang, Gan Gao, Benzhang Tao, Haihao Gao, Hui Wang, Peixin Wang, Mengchun Sun, and Aijia Shang.
• Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing, China.
• World Neurosurg. 2023 Aug 1; 176: e697e703e697-e703.

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the diagnosis and treatment of thoracic anterior spinal cord herniation, a rare condition.MethodsClinical data of 7 patients diagnosed with thoracic anterior spinal cord herniation were analyzed. All patients were diagnosed with a complete preoperative examination and scheduled for surgical treatment. In addition, regular follow-up was performed after the surgery, and the operation's efficacy was evaluated according to clinical symptoms, imaging findings, and improvement in neurologic function.ResultsAll patients underwent spinal cord release with an anterior dural patch. Notably, no severe postoperative surgical complications were observed. All patients were followed up for 12-75 months, with an average duration of approximately 46.5 months. Post-operative pain symptoms were controlled, neurological dysfunction and related symptoms improved to varying degrees, and anterior spinal cord herniation did not recur. The modified Japanese Orthopedic Association score at the last follow-up was significantly higher than the preoperative score.ConclusionsClinicians should avoid misdiagnosing patients with thoracic anterior spinal cord herniation with intervertebral disc herniation, arachnoid cysts, and other related diseases, and patients should undergo surgical treatment as early as possible. In addition, surgical treatment can protect the neurologic function of patients and effectively prevent the aggravation of clinical symptoms.Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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