What is a laminectomy?
Laminectomy is a term used to describe operations on the spine where the bone surrounding the spine (the lamina) is removed. There are 7 laminae in the neck, laminectomy here being called a cervical laminectomy, 12 in the chest (thoracic laminectomy), and 5 in the lumbar region (lumbar laminectomy). All the laminae at the base of the spine are fused into one bone called the sacrum (sacral laminectomy). The laminae are named by the letter of their area and the number of the vertebrae from the top downwards. Hence the 3rd cervical lamina is noted as C3. A laminectomy may be at a single level, or cover multiple levels.
Laminectomy is removal of the back side of the spinal canal under which lie the nerve tissues. This provides access to the nerves and the discs for specific treatment. When commonly performed in the “low back” or lumbar spine this may actually be below the level of the spinal cord itself. A laminectomy is, in the strictest sense, the removal of the lamina or roof of the spine. The two lamina come together on either side to form the spinous process, which is that bone that sticks up into the back that one can feel when one runs a hand along the spine.
A laminectomy is a surgical procedure to decrease pain for sufferers of lumbar spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis is a complaint that generally afflicts older people. The pain is caused by degenerative changes that result in the facet joints becoming enlarged and placing pressure on nerves. The best way to treat this ailment is with a lumbar laminectomy. Lumbar laminectomy means open decompression. Laminectomy surgery removes a small part of the bone, called the lamina, just over the nerve root. It can also remove disc material from underneath the nerve root in order to give the root a better healing environment or more space. The surgical procedure starts with an incision approximately two to five inches long (about 5-13 cm) made in the midline of the back. The left and right back muscles are then dissected off the lamina on both sides and at various levels. A laminectomy, or removal of the lamina, is then performed. This allows the nerve roots to be exposed. The final procedure in the
