What is laminotomy?

Laminotomy is a surgery that is carried out to remove part of the vertebral to relieve the pressure on the spinal cord. Patients with spinal disc degeneration or narrowing of the holes between their vertebrae may occur pain caused by pressure on nerves. Removing a piece of vertebra can alleviate pressure while still providing spinal cord support. Part of each vertebra known as lamina protects the back of the spinal cord. They leave the spinal cord through the holes between the vertebrae and travel to all parts of the body. There is a flat disk between each vertebra that provides suspension. Any bulging or degeneration of these discs could cause the holes between the vertebrae to narrow and grip the spinal cord.

patients with tight nerves or narrowing holes, also called spinal stenosis, may have pain or dullness in the arms or legs. Conservative treatment such as rest, pain treatment and/or physical therapy is usually the first line of treatment.

If conservative measures do not liberate pain after several months, the patient may consider surgery. Before performing surgery on the patient, the doctor is most likely to order either computer tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These tests provide the surgeon with a complete picture of the size of the holes that contain the spinal nerves.

Surgical possibilities are determined on the basis of the severity of pain or compression of the nerves. Laminotomy is suitable for mild levels of compression and is only partial removal of the laminate on the back of the vertebra. Lamina is in two sections on each side of a large spin process that is expanding the vertebra. Patients may have one or both laminae removed in what is referred to as one -sided or bilateral laminotomy. Removal only laminate and leaving the spin process on site retains most of the natural supportby the spine.

There are two ways to perform laminotomy. For open laminotomy, the surgeon is cut in the back of the back at the level of the affected vertebra. The muscles are cut off and shifted aside to reveal the vertebrae. The high speed drill is then cut off. This procedure may take one to three hours and the patient is under a general anesthetic.

endoscopic laminotomy involves the use of a tube that is slowly inserted into the back to push away the muscles and reveal the surgical area. The camera and surgical tools are inserted into the tube and used to cut off the laminate. This procedure is performed as an outpatient procedure after the patient has been injected by local anesthesia. Recovery and healing times are shorter than open laminotomy.