Two Surgical Cases of Cervical Disc Herniation at the C7/Th1 Level

Hirokazu Nohara; Sakae Sato; Yukio Kinjo; Tetsuya Yara; Shintoku Isa; Yutaka Tanahara; Kunio Ibaraki; Hiroaki Takara

doi:10.5035/nishiseisai.43.177

Hirokazu Nohara, Sakae Sato, Yukio Kinjo, Tetsuya Yara, Shintoku Isa, Yutaka Tanahara, Kunio Ibaraki, Hiroaki Takara

Author information

Hirokazu Nohara
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus
Sakae Sato
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus
Yukio Kinjo
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus
Tetsuya Yara
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus
Shintoku Isa
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus
Yutaka Tanahara
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus
Kunio Ibaraki
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus
Hiroaki Takara
Health Administration Center, University of the Ryukyus

Keywords: Cervical disc herniation, C7/Th1 level, Uncinate process

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

1994 Volume 43 Issue 1 Pages 177-181

DOI https://doi.org/10.5035/nishiseisai.43.177

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Abstract

A 51-year-old male with right C8 radiculopathy and a 59-year-old male with severe myelopathy, resulting from cervical disc herniation at the C7/Th1 level, were treated with anterior decompression and fusion. After surgery atrophy of the intrinsic muscles in the right hand showed marked recovery in the first case, and the gait disturbance seen in the second case completely resolved.
Murphey reported that only 50 of the 648 operated cases (8%) showed C8 radiculopathy. There were no cases with myelopathy due to C7/Th1 disc herniation in Kokubun's 120 surgical cases. Therefore it was rare to find disc herniation at this level.
We should take care not to incise the C7/Th1 disc too laterally, because our radiological study demonstrated that the uncinate process of Th1, indicating the lateral disc margin, had not been well developed.

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