Cervical Laminoplasty

Cervical Laminoplasty is a type of procedure that involves removing pressure from the spinal cord in the neck. Pressure can be caused by many of the following things:

• Arthritis
• Bone spurs
• Disc herniations
• Tumors
• Fractures

This procedure is done by incision in the back pf the neck. Instead of removing part of the spinal column, the bone overlying the spinal cord is partially cut on both the left and right sides. This creates a hinge on one side pf the lamina and a small opening on the other side. The lamina is then moved to the “open” position by elevating the lamina on the open side.

The spinal cord can then move away from whatever was compressing it; which could include bone spurs or herniated discs.

The advantages of this technique is that it increases the size of the canal but leaves the posterior tether that helps keep the spine stable.