Abstract:

Objective Study clinic effect of mini open endoscope assisted-ACDF （MOEA-ACDF） for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy （CSR）. Methods From February 2022 to March 2023， CSR patients receiving ACDF in the hospital were included in this study， including conventional ACDF group and MOEA-ACDF group.The preoperative data， operative timeand bone graft fusionwere recorded， VAS score， JOA score， C2-7 Cobb angle and anterior column height of the surgical segment were assessed before and after surgery， and complications were recorded， including wound infection， poor wound healing， hematoma formation， cerebrospinal fluid leakage， nerve injury， and complications related internal fixation. Results There were 41 patients in the conventional ACDF group and 41 patients in the MOEA-ACDF group. Between the two groups， there was no statistically significant difference in preoperative general condition， and there was no statistically significant difference in postoperative VAS pain score， JOA score， C2-7 Cobb angle， and anterior column height. Compared with the conventional ACDF group， the MOEA-ACDF group had a slightly longer surgical time （P = 0.02）. Compared with pre-operation， the VAS pain scorewas reduced， JOA score， C2-7 Cobb angle， and anterior column height were improved in both groups after operation. There were no postoperative complications such as wound infection， poor wound healing， hematoma formation， cerebrospinal fluid leakage， or nerve damage in both groups. Conclusions The MOEA-ACDF technology for treating CSR can effectively alleviate clinical symptoms， restore cervical spine height and curvature， and achieve clinical effects similar to conventional ACDF surgery， having good effectiveness and safety. Although the operation time of MOEA-ACDF technology is slightly longer than conventional ACDF， it has the advantages of clear and broad surgical field， deep focus， good lighting， less bleeding， and minimal trauma， which makes it convenient for the operator to perform cervical disc removal， nerve root canal release， posterior longitudinal ligament resection， and reduce nerve， spinal cord， dura mater， and vertebral artery injuries. It is a technology worth promoting and applying.

Key words: endoscope assisted, ACDF, minimally invasive, cervical spondylotic radiculopathy, clinic effect