Techniques for Cervical Laminoplasty

Study Design: Narrative review. Objective: The objective of this review was to discuss the various surgical techniques and developments in cervical laminoplasty and outline any reported differences in outcomes between the different techniques used. Methods: A PubMed literature search was performed using the terms “expansive”, “open door laminoplasty”, “cervical”, “double door laminoplasty”, “French door laminoplasty”, and “endoscopic”. All articles written or translated into English were considered and synthesized to provide a narrative overview of cervical laminoplasty techniques. Results: Cervical laminoplasty techniques can be categorized either into “open door” or “double door” (“French door”) laminoplasty. Several iterations of each technique to address long-term closure of the laminoplasty, muscle preservation, and migration of bone grafts have been developed. There are no consistent reported differences in outcomes in the literature between the 2 techniques for individuals with degenerative cervical myelopathy. Conclusions: Cervical laminoplasty is an effective surgical technique to expand canal size and achieve spinal cord decompression in the context of degenerative cervical myelopathy secondary to spondylosis or OPLL. Both the “open door” and “double door” laminoplasty techniques generally provide equivalent outcomes. Minimally invasive techniques including endoscopic approaches also continue to evolve, and future research comparing all approaches is warranted.