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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Laminectomy is surgery to remove the lamina — the back part of the vertebra that covers your spinal canal. Also known as decompression surgery, laminectomy enlarges your spinal canal to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.
This pressure can be caused by a variety of problems, including bony overgrowths within the spinal canal (spinal stenosis) or by a herniated disk. Laminectomy is most commonly performed on the vertebrae in the lower back and in the neck.
Laminectomy is generally used only when more-conservative treatments — such as medication and physical therapy — have failed to relieve symptoms. Laminectomy also may be recommended if symptoms are severe or worsening dramatically.
- Back pain. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Back_Pain/default.asp#10. Accessed May 13, 2011.
- Lumbar spinal stenosis. North American Spine Society. http://www.knowyourback.org/Documents/stenosis.pdf. Accessed May 13, 2011.
- Curlee PM. Spinal stenosis. In: Canale ST, et al. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-4/0/1584/0.html. Accessed May 13, 2001.
- Lumbar spinal stenosis. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00329. Accessed May 13, 2011.
- Cervical stenosis and myelopathy. North American Spine Society. http://www.knowyourback.org/Documents/cerv_myelopathy.pdf. Accessed May 13, 2011.
- Levin K. Lumbar spinal stenosis: Treatment and prognosis. http://uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 13, 2011.
- Aminoff MJ. Mechanical and other lesions of the spine, nerve roots and spinal cord. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191371208-2/0/1492/0.html#. Accessed May 13, 2011.
- Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. About your laminectomy. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2009.
- Williams KD, et al. Lumbar disc disease. In: Canale ST, et al. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-4/0/1584/0.html. Accessed May 16, 2011.
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