Anterior Contralateral Cervical Microdiscectomy at C7-T1

Purpose: In this retrospective study we reviewed our experience with patients who had disc herniation at cervicothorasic junction (C7-T1) and were treated with anterior contralateral simple microdiscectomy without fusion technique designed by the senior author. Methods: Between January 2000 and December 2021, 27 patients underwent surgery for C7-T1 disc herniation by one neurosurgeon. Clinical and radiological data were obtained preoperatively and at postoperative 3rd and 24th months. Short form-36 and Neck disability questionnaires were used to assess their quality of life. Results: All patients were presented with signs and symptoms of radiculopathy. There were 16 male and 11 female patients with a mean age 40 years. The follow-up period was meanly 9.7 years. Short form-36 and Neck disability scores calculated postoperatively were found statistically different from the preoperative values. There was no statically difference between the overall scores obtained at postoperative 3 months and 24 months. Conclusion: We propose that anterior contralateral microdiscectomy technique without fusion is advantageous for patients with complaint of disc herniation at C7-T1 level.