Identifying the V-Point During Cervical Endoscopic Unilateral Laminotomy with Bilateral Decompression

Abstract

Cervical endoscopic unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression (CEULBD) is a surgical technique that addresses central canal stenosis, often associated with radiculopathy and myelopathy. Previous studies have demonstrated this method's feasibility, safety, and effectiveness, highlighting its advantages over anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in terms of surgical duration, blood loss, and hospital stay. In this chapter, the author focuses on the surgical steps by illustrating the applied surgical anatomy to enable aspiring endoscopic spine surgeons to lean about the key steps this technique and to perform it safely and successfully. This author recommends having an experienced spine surgeon in the operating room for the first several cases before performing posterior endoscopic decompression of the stenotic central cervical spinal canal alone.

Keywords: Cervical spinal canal stenosis, Spinal cord compression, Cervical myelopathy, CE-ULBD, Laminotomy, Posterior cervical endoscopic decompression.

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