Comparison of Anterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion versus Laminoplasty in the Treatment of Multilevel Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy. A Meta-Analysis of Clinical and Radiological Outcomes

Objective: Spondylotic cervical myelopathy is a severe condition commonly affecting aging people. Although many investigations have been conducted, a consensus on the best surgical management is still missing. The aim of our study was to systematically review the pertinent literature and carry out a meta-analysis to compare the clinical and radiological outcome of the anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) and the posterior laminoplasty. Methods: This study was conducted in agreement with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines statement. Different medical database (PubMed, Embase, Scopus) were screened for eligible scientific reports. The key words “cervical,” “spondylosis,” “myelopathy,” “laminoplasty,” “ACDF” (MeSH) have been used in any possible combination. As outcome variables, the Japanese Orthopedic Association score, operation time, blood loss, cervical lordosis, range of motion and, complications were evaluated. Results: A total of 626 articles were screened and 5 finally included in the meta-analysis. Comparing the anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) and laminoplasty groups, no differences were found in Japanese Orthopedic Association score, operation time, and complication rate. The ACDF was associated with lower intraoperative blood loss and better cervical lordosis preservation, whereas the laminoplasty was associated with a wider cervical range of motion. Conclusions: The results of this meta-analysis seem to suggest that ACDF should be preferred to the laminoplasty for the treatment of multilevel cervical myelopathy, although proper designed randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to further investigate this relevant ongoing issue.