Review Article
Minimally Invasive Thoracic Corpectomy: Surgical Strategies for Malignancy, Trauma, and Complex Spinal Pathologies
Table 1
Advantages and limitations of various minimally invasive approaches.
| MIS approach | Selected authors | Advantages | Limitations |
| Anterior (thoracoscopic) | Dickman et al. | Complete decompression of canal | Pleural entry/chest tube | Mack et al. | Easy graft insertion | Ventral to dorsal working pattern | Ragel et al. | Anterolateral screw-plate fixation | High complication rates |
| Anterolateral (retropleural) | Uribe et al. | Complete decompression of canal | Extensive retropleural dissection | Scheufler et al. | Anterolateral screw-plate fixation | Difficult working angle | Kasliwal et al. | Extra-coelomic working corridor | High rate of pleural violation |
| Posterolateral (lateral extracavitary) | Kim et al. | Clear visualization of thecal sac | Significant blood loss/OR time | Khoo et al. | Anterior stabilization | Unilateral decompression | Mussachio et al. | Preservation of posterior tension band | Second incision for percutaneous stabilization |
| Posterior (transpedicular) | Chou et al. | Single incision | Difficult to place interbody graft | Deutsch et al. | Circumferential decompression | Thecal sac between surgeon and body | Decreased blood loss/pain | Dorsal to ventral working pattern (aorta, etc.) |
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