Only One Occurrence of Postoperative White Cord Syndrome in Sequential 244 Cases of Cervical Spine Laminoplasty in 20 Years in a Single Institute

Study Design: A retrospective cross-sectional clinical study. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the incidence of White cord syndrome (WCS) after laminoplasty (LAP) of the Kirita-Miyazaki method in 20 years. Summary of Background Data: Sequential 244 cases of cervical LAP in 20 years in a single institute. Methods: We identified cases performed LAP for cervical myelopathy, followed by an independent record review for more precise inclusion. The primary target was the WCS, but we also collected other minor complications and obtained their incidence. Results: We discovered one WCS case of 244 cases of cervical LAP (0.4%). The case was a 62-year-old man with diffuse ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament causing very severe spinal cord compression. Other complications were dura mater tear in five cases (2%); C5 palsy in 19 cases (7.8%); C6 palsy in four cases (1.6%); sensation disorder in four cases (1.6%); surgical site infection in two cases (0.8%); epidural hematoma in one case (0.4%); incomplete decompression at the edge of LAP in one case (0.4%); occurrence of flexion myelopathy in one case (0.4%). Conclusions: The incidence of WCS secondary to cervical spine LAP was as low as one per 4880 person-years, lower than those of previous studies, while the rates of other typical complications were comparable.