Multilevel interlaminar fenestration with soft tissue decompression in lumbar canal stenosis

Abstract

Introduction: Lumbar Canal Stenosis is the narrowing of the Spinal Canal and/or the intervertebral foramina, which causes compression of the thecal sac and/or caudal roots at a single vertebral level. Stenosis may be local, segmental, or generalised; bone or soft tissue can cause it. Stenosis can involve the bony canal, dural sac or both.[9] Aim: Assessment of outcomes of multilevel fenestration with soft tissue decompression in lumbar canal stenosis. Material and method: A prospective study comprised patients with two or more lumbar canal stenosis levels. The Study eliminated patients with infective pathology or recurrent surgery on identical levels. The surgical technique of canal decompression via multilevel fenestrations was used in this study, which enables the decompression of the neural structures while preserving as much of the bony and ligamentous structures as possible. Post-op clinical measures such as motor, sensory, post-op complications, and VAS score improvement assessed study outcomes. Result: Studies showed improvement in symptoms of pain, motor power and sensory deficit, post-operative improvement in VAS score for pain, and improved quality of life in almost all the patients from day 7 to day 60 after surgery. Conclusion: The study shows that “Multilevel interlaminar fenestration with Soft Tissue Decompression in Lumbar Canal Stenosis” is a feasible, safe, and effective approach to lumbar canal stenosis and is associated with minimal complications and minimal perioperative morbidity.

Keywords

• lumbar canal stenosis
• visual analogue scale
• fenestration