CHAPTER 14
CERVICAL LAMIOPLASTY
AD
LAMIECTOMY
(This is the section that explains the detail of the operation or procedure
above and should be read in conjunction with the chapter Your eck
Operation).
A decompression of the spinal canal, that carries the spinal cord, is carried out
because of compression of nerves by a variety of pathological mechanisms.
This can range from degenerative changes in the spine to growths, tumours
and traumatic compression following an accident. The rule in general is that
when the spinal cord is being compressed from the front, the operation is per-
formed from the front of the neck (anterior) and when the compression is
from structures located in the back of the vertebral column, then the proce-
dure is carried out from the back (posterior).
In cases of posterior cervical decompression, the nerves are being com-
pressed by structures at the back of the spinal canal. The laminae (see the
chapter Anatomy of the Spine) are the doorway to the spinal canal and they
are removed in a laminectomy and partially removed and fixed partially back
in a laminoplasty. Please see the pictures on the next page for a step-by-step
explanation of how a laminectomy and laminoplasty are performed.
In cases where the decompression is over several levels or where the decom-
pression is thought to cause instability, a posterior cervical fusion may be per-
formed (see the chapter Posterior Cervical Fusion).
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