Lateral approach to the upper cervical spine.

A procedure for access to the ventral portion of the spinal canal from the foramen magnum to the superior portion of C-3 is described. This is useful for lesions that are primarily ventral or ventrolateral to the spinal cord, such as meningiomas or neurofibromas. The exposure involves no more bone removal than does a posterior laminectomy, but the angle of approach reduces markedly the amount of spinal cord manipulation necessary to deal with ventrally situated lesions.