Cervical Sagittal Imbalance after Cervical Laminoplasty in Elderly Patients

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of age on sagittal cervical alignment after cervical laminoplasty procedure so as to identify the group with the greatest degree of variation. Study Setting. Single-center retrospective chart review in a tertiary referral hospital. Outcome Measures. The sagittal vertical axis (SVA) (C2-7), T1 slope, and cervical lordosis. METHODS: We included patients who underwent cervical laminoplasty between 2014 and 2018 and divided 60 consecutive patients into two groups using the cut-off age of 65 years. The Paired t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare changes between preoperative radiographic cervical sagittal parameters and those 1 year after surgery. RESULTS: Mean patient ages in the older and younger groups were 71 years and 52 years, respectively. The difference of C2-7 SVA was greater in the older group. CONCLUSION: Postoperative cervical balance can be worse when laminoplasty is performed in elderly patients.