Laminoplasty

• Surgeon will perform an incision in your back, over the area that needs to be operated. The muscles that surround the spine are moved aside, to allow a clear view of the surgical site.
• A specific instrument is used to cut one groove on one side of the vertebra, aiming to create a hinge.
• The other side of the lamina is completely cut.
• The tip of the spinous process is removed.
• The lamina is then lifted and rotated, laterally moved like a door (often surgeons refer to this procedure as the “open door” procedure)
• The procedure relieves pressure immediately because the space for the nerves increases.
• The lamina, elevated and rotated, is then secured in the new position with a suture and small wedges of bone, inserted in the opened space   

  A laminoplasty, similar to a laminectomy, is often performed on patients suffering from spinal stenosis in the neck (narrowing of the cervical spinal canal). It is also referred to as an "open-door laminoplasty." A laminoplasty creates more space for the spinal cord and roots. The actual procedure involves cutting a “hinge” into one side of the lamina and swinging it open like a door. It relieves pressure on the spinal cord by increasing the diameter of the spinal canal and room for the spinal cord. The surgery approach is through the back of the neck. This procedure creates excellent spinal canal decompression without the instability that may be created by multiple level cervical laminectomies.

By relieving pressure on the spinal cord it is the goal of laminoplasty to stop the progression of damage to the spinal cord and allow for as much recovery of function as possible.