Treatments | Surgical Procedures | Lumbar and Thoracic Surgery

Laminectomy

A laminectomy is the primary treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis. This procedure involves removing the bone, bone spurs, and ligaments that are compressing the nerves. This procedure may also be called “decompression.” A laminectomy can be performed as open surgery, where your doctor will use a single incision to access your or can be done using a minimally invasive approach, where several smaller incisions are made. During this procedure, your surgeon will remove the lamina (roof covering your nerves) as well as a portion of the facet joint and thickened ligament. This procedure can be performed as an outpatient surgery, but sometimes requires an overnight or 2-day stay depending on the number of levels being operated on.