The Gantry Crane Technique: A Novel Technique for Treating Severe Thoracic Spinal Stenosis and Myelopathy Caused by Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum and Preliminary Clinical Results

Study Design: Retrospective single-arm study. Objective: To propose a novel technique named the gantry crane technique for treating severe thoracic spinal stenosis and myelopathy caused by thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF) and investigate its clinical results. Methods: From June 2017 to January 2019, 18 patients presenting with severe spinal stenosis and myelopathy caused by TOLF were included in our study. All patients were treated with gantry crane technique, pre-operative JOA score, as well as 3 days-, 3 months-, 6 months-, 12 months-, 24 months after operation, and Hirabayashi recovery rate were reported. Pre- and post-operative image were utilized for the assessment of post-operative effect. Peri-operative complications were recorded to assess the safety of the gantry crane technique. Results: The JOA score increased from 10.56 +/- 3.76 preoperatively to 12.94 +/- 3.33, 13.56 +/- 3.48, 13.94 +/- 3.32, 14.17 +/- 3.70 and 14.06 +/- 3.54 in 3 days, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months after surgery, respectively. The post-operative JOA scores were improved with statistical significance at the level of P < 0.05. The recovery rate was (39.09 +/- 33.85) %, (51.35 +/- 42.60) %, (55.79 +/- 36.10) %, (64.98 +/- 29.24) % and (60.98 +/- 35.96) % for 3 days, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months after surgery, respectively. There were 2 cases of SSI (surgical site infection), 1 case of NI (neurovascular injury) and 1 case of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. Conclusions: This study highlights a safe and effective technique, the gantry crane technique, for treating severe thoracic spinal stenosis and myelopathy caused by TOLF.