What condition can a microdecompression laminaplasty treat?
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The microdecompression laminaplasty is an operation performed for the treatment of symptomatic central spinal stenosis. It is typically performed in patients 55 and older. It replaces the need to do a laminectomy.
Alan Hammer |
The surgery is performed microscopically through small incisions without cutting or detaching spinal muscles. It can also safely be performed under local or spinal anesthesia making the procedure very safe especially in older patients or individuals with underlying medical problems.
The surgery is a combination of performing a micro decompression by removing offending bone spurs, thickened hard ligament and inflammatory tissue, bulging disc material, and joint cysts and a laminaplasty by reshaping the under surface of the lamina to create a larger bony canal. Both sides of the spine can be treated through a single side approach.
One or several levels can be performed depending on the nature of the patient’s problem. The results are immediate and sometimes years of pain and suffering are gone. This operation requires a long learning curve which discourages many surgeons from learning the procedure. Only a limited number of training centers teach young surgeons how to perform this difficult but rewarding technique. If successful, the procedure avoids the need for much larger traditional spine operations.
Microdecompression Laminaplasty can treat the following conditions:
