Abstract

• Three cases operated on with anterior micorforaminotomy because of chronic symptoms after whiplash injury were analyzed. The indications for surgery were medically intractable, definite cervical radicular symptoms with trivial cervical pathology on preoperative usual radiological studies. On operative findings, the minor disc protrusion and thickening of posterior longitudinal ligament were the representative pathologies. At follow-up, all patients showed disappearance of pre-operative symptoms. Based on Robinson's criteria for the surgical results, all 3 patients had good results. We suggest the trivial cervical pathologies, proved by the target-oriented, anterior microforaminotomy, can be the origin of cervical radiculopathy after low-velocity, rear-car collision injury in our series.
• Keywords: Cervical disc; Radiculopathy; Whiplah injury; Microforaminotomy