Minimally invasive laminectomy: Better Than Traditional Open Procedure?

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Decompressive laminectomy offers an effective surgical treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis. However, is minimally invasive laminectomy proven to be any better than the traditional open procedure?

Answer:

According to a report published recently in the journal Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, the minimally invasive approach to laminectomy offers several benefits. Compared to patients treated with open surgery, those who were operated on via the minimally invasive approach had shorter operating times and less blood loss. They also had a shorter hospital stay, fewer and less severe complications, and better postoperative mobility.

This study compared the medical records of 38 minimally invasive surgical patients to 88 open-technique patients. The findings are similar to those found when comparing minimally invasive techniques for other surgical procedures to the traditional open approaches. By allowing for smaller incisions, less muscle dissection and minimal tissue manipulation, an experienced surgeon can produce similar clinical results with less tissue damage.

Source:
Minim Invasive Neurosurg. 2008 Apr;51(2):100-5.Click here to read Links
Comparison of Techniques for Decompressive Lumbar Laminectomy: the Minimally Invasive versus the “Classic” Open Approach.
Rahman M, Summers LE, Richter B, Mimran RI, Jacob RP.
Department of Neurological Surgery, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.