Lamina refers to the roof of bone over the back of the spinal cord, and ectomy means the surgical procedure for removing a section of the bony roof to take pressure off the spinal cord. Cervical laminectomy is one of the simple surgeries performed on cervical spine. It involves removal of a portion of a cervical vertebral bone called lamina. This procedure is done commonly to treat cervical spinal stenosis which leads to myelopathy. Also, it is usually performed as part of fusion surgery. It helps to decompress the spinal canal. The back of the neck is approached through a incision in the midline of the back of the neck , and the left and right paraspinal muscles are dissected off the lamina on both sides. After the spine is approached, the lamina and ligamentum flavum is removed allowing visualization of the spinalcord.
Initial mild pain will be at surgical site. The recovery period after a laminectomy depends on the specific operative technique, with minimally invasive procedures having significantly shorter recovery periods than open surgery.
Length of the scar is seen in mid-line of the back of neck and depends upon the incision length and the number of levels.
Potential complications associated with laminectomy are :
