Wednesday, July 8, 2015

What are the newer modalities of laminectomy

In laminectomy the complete vertebral arch is removed at the stenotic spinal level. Due to age related changes the nerves in the spinal canal are pinched and cause pain/paraesthesia in the lower limb. Laminectomy removes part of the bone and relives the nerves of the spine. An experiences spine surgeon can either do a conventional laminectomy or opt for the newer types of laminectomy such as unilateral laminotomy, bilateral laminotomy and split spinous laminotomy. The advantages of newer treatment options include similar post op results with less removal of lesser amount of bone. It also preserves the muscles and ligaments of the spine.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Economic impact of minimally invasive lumbar surgery

Traditional spine surgeries are lumbar discectomy, lumbar laminectomy and arthrodesis. The advantages of minimally invasive spine surgery include shoerter hospital stay, less postoperative pain and early return to work. In 20015 in World journal of Orthopaedics, cost effectiveness of minimally invasive spine surgery was discussed by Hofstetter et al. Surgeries like lumbar microdisectomy, decompressive surgeries of the spine and short segment spine fixation were analyzed. They concluded that minimally invasive spine surgery had the same postoperative outcomes in terms of post operative benefits however the cost effectiveness increased as the hospital stay and rehabilitation time was reduced.

Monday, July 6, 2015

Who needs lumbar laminectomy

With growing age there is wear and tear in the vertebral column which might cause narrowing of the spinal canal. Important nerves to the lower limb and visceral organs traverse through the spinal canal which might get obstructed due to this narrowing.

Lumbar laminectomy is a procedure  in which a part of the bone which is causing compression on the nerve is removed. When the pressure on the nerve is removed the pain, paraesthesia and numbness goes away.