Turkish Neurosurgery
Hemilaminectomy and Bilateral Decompression for Thoracic Spinal Stenosis
Abdulfettah Tümtürk1, Mehmet Meral2, Ahmet Küçük1, Halil Ulutabanca1, Rahmi Kemal Koç1
1Erciyes University Medical Faculty, Neurosurgery, Kayseri,
2Erciyes Private Hospital, Neurosurgery, Kayseri,
DOI: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.28093-19.2
Aim:To establish the effectiveness and reliability of the hemilaminectomy and bilateral decompression (HLBD) for the treatment of Thoracic Spinal Stenosis (TSS) in selected patients.Material and Methods:We reviewed the clinical data of 21 consecutive adult patients who had undergone HLBD. The patients whose diagnosis of TSS was confirmed by CT or MRI, and whose stenosis was secondary to hypertrophy on the posterior elements, and who were performed HLBD for treatment of narrow spinal canal were included in this study. Using medical records, we evaluated the patients by pre- and postoperative Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores. The recovery rates were evaluated according to Hirabayashi’s method.Results:The mean follow-up period was 37.6 months. The average age was 61.6 years. The preoperative mean JOA score was 5.8. The postoperative improved mean JOA score was 9.9 in follow-up. The recovery rate was 83.3%. There was no operation-related transfusion, neurological deterioration and postoperative instability in the follow-up examination.Conclusion:Having a relatively less complication ratio, protecting posterior anatomical structures, avoiding post laminectomy kyphosis and postsurgical instability, and providing successful clinical improvement, HLBD is a suitable technique for the patients whose stenosis is mainly secondary to hypertrophy on the posterior elements such as ligamentum flavum and facet joints.
Corresponding author : Abdulfettah Tümtürk