Laminectomy is a type of surgery which can decompress the spinal cord which is mostly cause by spinal stenosis. With spinal stenosis, the spinal cord is pressed with bone spurs resulting to a condition called myelopathy. This condition can bring problems in the bladder and bowels, changes in the way you walk and problems with motor skills in the hands.
With cervical spinal laminectomy, the procedure is done through the back of the neck which is the posterior neck region. This includes the regions which consist the bony ring around the spinal cord. The procedure includes giving the patient a general anesthesia to put them to sleep. The patient is positioned face down in the operating table. The surgeon then makes a cut in the middle of the back of the neck. The skin as well as the soft tissues is set aside to show the bones at the back of the spine.
Some surgeons use instruments like surgical microscope to magnify the part which they are working on. When all is done then the soft tissues as well as muscles are put back in its place and the cut is closed by stitching together the skin. Most of the time patients are fit into neck brace right after surgery to give support and keep your neck positioned comfortably.
Complications of Cervical Spinal Laminectomy
Just like any major operations, complications can happen and a few common complications are the following;
Complications with Anesthesia
In some instances problem can arise with anesthesia which might react with other drugs or medication that the patient is taking or in rare instances the patient has a problem with the anesthesia itself. Also anesthesia can affect the functions in the lungs since it does not expand that well when the person is under anesthesia. Thus it is vital that you discuss with your doctor the risk you will go through.
Deep Venus Thrombosis
Deep Venus Thrombosis or popularly known as Thromboplebitis can happen in any operation. This happens when the blood clots in one of the large veins in the leg. Signs may include swelling in the area affected, pain and warm to the touch. If this blood clot breaks apart, this can travel to the lungs and blocked at one of the capillaries making supply of blood cut off in some parts of the lung. This condition is widely known as pulmonary embolism. This condition is very serious thus should be prevented as much as possible. Preventing DVT to happen is what most doctors concern and the most effective way of achieving it is getting you moving as soon as possible. Other preventive measures may include medications that can thin blood therefore prevents blood clots and use of pressure stocking to keep the blood circulating.
Infection
It is seldom for infection to set in after spine surgery but if it does happen it can be very serious. There are some infections that may show up early while you are still in the hospital. If the infection is in the skin surface then it can be readily taken care of with antibiotics but those infections that goes deep down into the soft tissues and bones of the spine is quite difficult to treat and may need another surgery to treat that infected part of the spine.
Nerve Damage
Any surgery done in the spine can most likely cause injury to the spinal nerves. It can happen because of the growth of scar tissue, or cutting of the nerve tissue. This injury can lead to numbness on parts of the body which the nerves supplies and muscle weakness.
Other complications of cervical spinal laminectomy are segmental instability and continue pain.
Recovery Period
Patients usually move or get up in bed after an hour or two from surgery and you may have to wear a soft neck collar. Most of the patients are able to go home a day after surgery and they usually go back to doing light task after four weeks and can go back to doing heavier works and sports activities after two to three months.
Your doctor might prescribed therapy for you and your physical therapist can design a program for you. This will prepare you to go back to work although in some cases there are patients who are not able to go back to their old job which needs strenuous and heavy task. Just make sure to do your job in a way that you keep your neck always safe. Your therapist will most likely teach you a number of methods to avoid future problems.
Several studies do showed that cervical spinal laminectomy is effective. In fact one study concludes that success rates of laminectomy procedure with or without fusion may be effective to answer problems of multilevel cervical problems ( Spine Cord 2003).