Objective To compare the outcomes of modified cervical laminectomy and opendoor cervical laminoplasty for the treatment of multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Methods The clinical data of 39 patients with multi-level cervical spondylotic myelopathy who were operated in our hospital from June 2017 to December 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. According to the operation mode, they were divided into the improved group (n=17) and the traditional group n=22). In the modified group, C3 and C7 parts of the lamina were removed stealthily while the spinous process was preserved. At the same time, C4~6 whole lamina was removed and the lateral mass was fixed and fused. In the traditional group, C3~ 7single door laminoplasty was used. The operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage, C5 nerve palsy, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, incision related complications (deep infection and poor healing of incision), incidence of neck axial pain, mJOA score and Cobb angle of cervical spine were collected and compared between the two groups.Results All patients were followed up for 6-30 months, with an average of (17.0±5.2) months. Compared with the traditional group, the modified group had shorter operation time, less bleeding, lower incidence of neck axial pain, higher mJOA score and lower Cobb angle in the last follow-up (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in C5 palsy, cerebrospinalfluid leakage, incision related complications and mJOA scores at 3 and 6 months postoperatively (P>0.05). Conclusion Compared with the opendoor laminoplasty, the improved total laminectomy is a safe and effective method for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy. It has the advantages of simple operation, short operation time, sufficient decompression and low incidence of axial neck pain.