Motion-sparing procedures is one of the current trends in spine surgery and likely will continue to prevail in the future. Among them, the cervical disc replacement is one of the best-developed and studied techniques. Let me give a quick overview of the surgery and who may benefit from it.
Laminectomy is an open surgical procedure that removes the lamina, a thin layer of bone that covers the spinal canal. It is done to relieve pressure from the nerves that causes pain, numbness or weakness.
Indications:
Laminectomy is performed in cases of narrowing of the spinal canal (stenosis) with pressure on the nerves when it causes pain or affects function.
Cervical laminoplasty is a surgical procedure that removes pressure from the spinal cord in the neck. It is commonly performed to treat cervical myelopathy, a condition where pressure on the spinal cord produces neurologic changes.
As opposed to the more traditional surgeries, laminoplasty does not involve fusion of the neck bones and thus preserves almost normal range of motion.
