DEGENERATIVE CERVICAL MYELOPATHY: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF POSTERIOR DECOMPRESSION TECHNIQUES

ABSTRACT Objective: To compare posterior decompression techniques in degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) and evaluate their clinical outcomes. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on patients with DCM who underwent posterior cervical decompression surgery between 2012 and 2022. Variables analyzed included surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, and hospital stay. Results: A total of 32 patients were included. Open surgery had a surgical time of 176.6 ± 45.3 minutes, blood loss of 300.5 ± 236.3 ml, and a hospital stay of 4.5 ± 4.4 days. Minimally invasive surgery had a surgical time of 161.5 ± 72 minutes, blood loss of 93.8 ± 69.5 ml, and a hospital stay of 1.8 ± 1 day. Conclusions: Minimally invasive decompression resulted in shorter surgical time, reduced blood loss, and shorter hospital stay compared to open surgery. Further research is needed to determine its impact on functional outcomes. Level of Evidence II; Retrospectivef Study.