The root ‘ectomy’ refers to removal and ‘lamina’ is a sheet of bone that partially forms the spinal canal. Therefore laminectomy means to remove part of the bony spinal canal to open up the space for the spinal cord and nerves in the setting of spinal stenosis or myelopathy.
To perform a thoracic laminectomy, an incision is made down the center of the back in the thoracic region (ribcage area). The muscles are then moved to the side.
Once the spine is reached from the back, each vertebra is identified. Your surgeon will probably take an X-ray during surgery to make sure that the right vertebrae are being selected and the correct lamina removed. Once this is determined, the lamina of the affected vertebrae is removed. Any bone spurs that are found sticking off the back of the vertebra are removed as well as any herniated disc material. Great care is taken to not damage the spinal cord and nerve roots.
In the thoracic spine, removing the lamina completely may cause problems with the stability of the facet joints between each vertebra. If the joints are damaged during the laminectomy, the spine may begin to tilt forward causing problems later. One way that spine surgeons try to prevent this problem is to perform a fusion coincidentally at the time of the laminectomy.
SURGERIES PERFORMED
