Lincoln Highway Transuncodiscal Approach to Dumbbell Tumors of the Cervical Spinal Canal

ABSTRACT

A combined anterior and lateral approach to the anterior cervical canal was performed on 2 patients with cervical dumbbell-shaped tumors. The procedure consists of anterior discetomy and ispsilateral uncectomy, and removal of the posterolateral corners and posterior transverse fidges of the upper and lower verterbral bodies at the tumor. In one case of a large tumor in the spinal canal, additional removal of a limited segment from the lateral part of the vertebral body was performed and the bone defect was filled with a T-shaped bone graft. The higest level of the operation was C-2 and the lowes was C-4. The authors believe that any cervical dumbbell-shaped tumor below the C-2 level can be removed via anterolateral approach as long as no more than 3 levels of the spine are involved.