Direct Involvement of Concomitant Foraminotomy for Radiculomyelopathy in Postoperative Upper Limb Palsy in Cervical Laminoplasty

Objective: Although concomitant foraminotomy has been reported to increase the risk of postoperative upper limb palsy (ULP) in cervical laminoplasty, the specific effects of concomitant foraminotomy on ULP remain uncertain. This study aimed to clarify the effect of concomitant foraminotomy on ULP in cervical laminoplasty.

Methods: We identified 19 patients who developed ULP after laminoplasty with concomitant foraminotomy for radiculomyelopathy with nerve root impingement (laminoplasty with concomitant foraminotomy group [F-group]) from 4080 patients who underwent primary cervical laminoplasty at 27 affiliated institutions between 2012 and 2018. An age- and sex-matched control group comprised patients who developed ULP after laminoplasty without concomitant foraminotomy (n = 76, 4:1 ratio with F-group). Collected data included the time of onset and distribution of ULP (side and level). The site of foraminotomy was recorded in the F-group.

Results: The F-group showed a significantly higher incidence of ULP than the candidates for the control group (15.1% vs. 3.1%, P < 0.001). The site of foraminotomy was consistent with the distribution of ULP in 79% (15 of 19 patients) of the F-group. The F-group showed a significantly higher proportion of preoperative upper-limb muscle weakness (74% vs. 37%, P = 0.005) and early-onset ULP occurring by postoperative day 1 (63% vs. 33%, P = 0.02) compared with the control group.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that the foraminotomy procedure in the stenotic foramen is directly involved in ULP. Combined with a previous report suggesting that early-onset ULP is associated with thermal nerve damage, our results indicate that thermal nerve damage partly explains the increased incidence of ULP in the F-group.