Ho-ho-ho! Gather around, my dear friends, for I have a tale from the land of medicine, a story as intriguing as the mystery of how I manage to deliver all those presents in one night. This narrative revolves around a common ailment known as cervical spinal stenosis (CSS), a condition that could surely put a damper on anyone’s holiday spirit. Now, in the magical world of spine surgery, there are two elves… I mean, procedures, that stand out in the treatment of this condition: the traditional Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) and the newer, sprightly full endoscopic laminotomy decompression.

Between June 2018 and August 2020, a group of 138 patients with CSS were gathered, all hoping to find relief from their troubles. These patients were divided into two groups: one underwent the ACDF procedure, while the other experienced the wonders of the endoscopic approach. To ensure a fair comparison, a method known as propensity score matching (PSM) was used, much like how I make my list and check it twice, to adjust for any differences between the groups.

As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the endoscopic group had a bit of holiday magic on their side. They enjoyed shorter operative times, less intraoperative blood loss, smaller incisions, and shorter hospital stays. It was as if they had been visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, showing them a glimpse of a quicker recovery. Both groups saw significant improvements in their conditions postoperatively, but the endoscopic group had a little extra twinkle in their eye, showing better improvement just 7 days after the procedure.

However, not all was calm and bright. The ACDF group found themselves facing larger changes in the range of motion of adjacent segments, a bit like finding coal in their stockings. And when it came to the health of adjacent segments, the ACDF group saw a more marked decrease, a reminder that sometimes, traditional methods come with their own set of challenges.

In the end, both groups had a high rate of excellent and good outcomes, much like the joy of finding the perfect present under the tree. But the tale of the full endoscopic laminotomy decompression stands out as a beacon of hope, offering less trauma, a faster recovery, and a gentler impact on the delicate kinematics of the cervical spine.

So, as we close this chapter, let us remember that in the quest for health, as in the quest for the perfect Christmas, there are always new paths to explore, new methods to try, and new joys to discover. May your days be merry, bright, and free of cervical spinal stenosis. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!