title: Unilateral hemilaminectomy for patients with intradural extramedullary tumors.
abstract: A modified hemilaminectomy was introduced in an attempt to explore the operative techniques and the values of the limited approach to spinal cord tumors. Forty-five consecutive patients with intradural extramedullary lesions, who underwent modified hemilaminectomy, were studied retrospectively. The intraspinal tumors were removed via the limited bone window with a 3.3-cm mean length (range: 2.0-6.5 cm) and a 1.2-cm mean width (range: 0.6-1.5 cm), in which the inner parts of the medial and lateral laminae were mostly undercut for wider view. Spinal lesions were cervical in 21 cases, thoracic in 12 cases, lumbar in 10 cases, and multiple in 2 cases. Forty-three cases were completely excised via hemilaminectomy alone. Two subjects with dumbbell neurinoma underwent two-stage tumor removal via anterolateral cervical approach following hemilaminectomy. With respect to neurological status, the percentage of good Frankel scale (D+E grade) was markedly improved from 22.2% on admission to 93.3% at follow-up. At the median 26-month follow-up evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), none of the subjects showed spinal deformity or instability. By preserving musculoligamentous attachments and posterior bony elements as much as possible, the modified approach is minimally invasive and may be routinely used to remove intradural and extramedullary tumors, especially in patients with meningiomas and neurinomas.
authors: Zhejiang Traditional Medical University, Hangzhou 310009, China.
authors: Cai-xing
authors: CX
authors: Sun
authors: Xu-li
authors: XL
authors: Meng
authors: Shang-nao
authors: SN
authors: Xie
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Yu
authors: Hong-jian
authors: HJ
authors: Yang
authors: Bin
authors: B
authors: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*