Transthoracic Removal of Midline Thoracic Disc Protrusions Causing Spinal Cord Compression

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

T HE diagnostic problems and therapeutic hazards involved in the treatment of thoracic intervertebral disc protrusions have been recently emphasized by Reeves and Brown. 2~ When one examines carefully the cases of thoracic disc protrusions with spinal cord compression reported in the literature, it becomes apparent that there is a high incidence of serious complications when removal of the disc is at tempted through the usual posterior laminectomy approach. Table 1 summarizes the results in those cases that were described in enough detail so that conclusions could be drawn about the postoperative course and final result of t reatment by posterior laminec tomy? -3,9,1~176 When all protrusions were considered there were 91 such cases. Forty of these patients were not