• Dong-Ho Lee, Chang Ju Hwang, Jae Hwan Cho, Sung Tan Cho, Hyun Wook Nam, and Sehan Park.
• Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
• Spine. 2023 Nov 1; 48 (21): 152615341526-1534.

Study DesignRetrospective cohort study.ObjectiveTo clarify whether outcomes of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) differ according to the presence of posterior cord compression from the ligamentum flavum (CCLF).Summary Of Background DataAlthough ACDF effectively addresses anterior cord compression from disc material and bone spurs, it cannot address posterior compression. Whether ACDF could result in favorable outcomes when CCLF is present remains unclear.Patients And MethodsA total of 195 consecutive patients who underwent ACDF and were followed up for >2 years were included. CCLF was graded based on magnetic resonance imaging findings. Patients with CCLF grade 2 were classified as such, whereas patients with CCLF grades 0 to 1 were classified as the no-CCLF group. Patient characteristics, cervical sagittal parameters, neck pain visual analog scale, arm pain visual analog scale, and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score were assessed. Categorical variables were analyzed using a χ 2 test, whereas continuous variables were analyzed using the Student t test. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to elucidate factors associated with JOA recovery rates of >50%.ResultsOne hundred sixty-seven patients (85.6%) were included in the no-CCLF group, whereas the remaining 28 patients (14.4%) were included in the CCLF group. Among patients in the CCLF group, 14 patients (50.0%) achieved clinical improvement. JOA score significantly improved in the no-CCLF group after the operation ( P < 0.001), whereas improvement was not appreciated in the CCLF group ( P = 0.642). JOA scores at 3 months ( P = 0.037) and 2 years ( P = 0.001) postoperatively were significantly higher in the no-CCLF group. Furthermore, the JOA recovery rate at 2 years after surgery was significantly higher in the no-CCLF group ( P = 0.042). Logistic regression demonstrated that CCLF was significantly associated with a JOA recovery rate of >50% at 2 years after surgery (odds ratio: 2.719; 95% CI: 1.12, 6.60).ConclusionACDF performed for patients with CCLF grade 2 showed inferior JOA score improvement compared with those with CCLF grade 0 or 1. ACDF cannot remove posterior compressive structures, which limits its utility when ligamentum flavum significantly contributes to cord compression.Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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