الفهرس 
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Abstract
SUMMARY
The surgery of the cervical spine is one of the common surgeries in Neurosurgery. This is attributed to the high number of patients with complaints related to lesions in this part of the spine. Many approaches have been invented to deal with such lesions. Of the common lesions encountered in the practice of neurosurgery in relation to the cervical spine are disc prolapse, cervical canal stenosis, cervical spondylosis, fractures of the cervical spine and tumors arising either from the cord or from the bony spine. The aim of this study is to evaluate the indications, surgical aspects and outcome of microsurgical posterior cervical laminoforaminotomy in discogenic unilateral cervical radiculopathy in terms of accessibility, adequacy of root exposure and the feasibility of root decompression with or without extraction of disc fragment. Twenty patients with CDP were included in this study, they presented with different complaints, namely unilateral brachialgia (numbness and tingling), neck pain, occipital headache, focal parascapular pain, arm, forearm and hand pain. On examination, different signs were noted, motor, and sensory deficit, reflex changes in few cases. Different investigations were done including laboratory investigations and different imaging studies such as plain X-ray films, CT scan and MRI. Electro physiological study was done in few cases, when indicated. All cases were subjected to microsurgical posterior cervical laminoforaminotomy with, extraction of disc fragment in 14 patients (70%), removal of foraminal osteophytes in 3 patients (15%), discectomy was done in 4 patients (20%), and foraminal root dissection only (without extraction of disc fragment or discektomy) was done in 2 patients (10%). The details of this approach were reviewed and so are the complications we faced whether intra-operatively or post-operatively for a period of six months.The most common level affected was C6-7 in 12 patients (60%), and only 2 patients were suffer from double level (C5-6, C6-7) CDP.Complications include, excessive epidural bleeding in 2 cases (10%), wound infection in 3 cases (15%), hematoma formation in one case (5%), and recurrence of CDP in one case (5%) only. No reported cases with root injury, added neurological deficit or kyphus deformity.Most patients, 18 patients, (90%) showed excellent to good out come where they were back to their normal work and usual daily activities within 2 weeks after surgery, without any further complaints or with good improvement of their previous complaint.One case only showed recurrence of CDP and re-operated again 6 months later via anterior approach, and this case had fair out come.The outcomes in the study were gathered and compared with other studies, as regards the indications, surgical aspects, out come and the complications .