Abstract

Aim: This study retrospectively evaluated clinical outcomes in patients diagnosed with cervical myelopathy who underwent surgical intervention using either anterior or posterior cervical spinal approaches.
Materials and Methods: Medical records and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets of patients treated between 2012 and 2025 were reviewed retrospectively. The two groups were compared based on age, sex, and preoperative and postoperative Modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) scores and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores. Age distribution between groups was assessed using the Student’s t-test. Pre- and postoperative mJOA scores were analyzed with both the Student’s t-test and paired sample t-test. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to compare changes in preoperative and postoperative mJOA and VAS scores between the two surgical approach groups.
Results: There was no statistically significant difference in preoperative mJOA scores between patients undergoing anterior and posterior approaches (P=0.120). Postoperative mJOA scores demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in both groups (P

Key words: Cervical myelopathy, cervical spine surgery, anterior approach, posterior approach, modified japanese orthopaedic association, visual analog scale, retrospective study