Laminoplasty with lateral mass screw fixation for cervical spondylotic myelopathy in patients with athetoid cerebral palsy

Although several studies report various treatment solutions for cervical spondylotic myelopathy in patients with athetoid cerebral palsy, long-term follow-up studies are very rare. None of the reported treatment solutions represent a gold standard for this disease owing to the small number of cases and lack of long-term follow-up. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of laminoplasty with lateral mass screw fixation to treat cervical spondylotic myelopathy in patients with athetoid cerebral palsy from a single center.This retrospective study included 15 patients (9 male patients and 6 female patients) with athetoid cerebral palsy who underwent laminoplasty with lateral mass screw fixation for cervical spondylotic myelopathy at our hospital between March 2006 and June 2010. Demographic variables, radiographic parameters, and pre- and postoperative clinical outcomes determined by the modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA), Neck Disability Index (NDI), and visual analog scale (VAS) scores were assessed.The mean follow-up time was 80.5 months. Developmental cervical spinal canal stenosis (P = 0.02) and cervical lordosis (P = 0.04) were significantly correlated with lower preoperative modified JOA scores. The mean modified JOA scores increased from 7.97 preoperatively to 12.1 postoperatively (P < 0.01). The mean VAS score decreased from 5.30 to 3.13 (P < 0.01), and the mean NDI score decreased from 31.73 to 19.93 (P < 0.01). There was a significant negative correlation between developmental cervical spinal canal stenosis and recovery rate of the modified JOA score (P = 0.01).Developmental cervical spinal canal stenosis is significantly related to neurological function in patients with athetoid cerebral palsy. Laminoplasty with lateral mass screw fixation is an effective treatment for cervical spondylotic myelopathy in patients with athetoid cerebral palsy and developmental cervical spinal canal stenosis.