Total
laminectomy for the removal of intradural-extramedullary
spinal cord tumors has been used widely, but postoperative complications often develop, such as
kyphosis, spinal instability, and persistent
back pain. In this study, we evaluated seven patients with intradural-extramedullary
spinal cord tumors with respect to the value of unilateral limited
laminectomy. Our cases included six
schwannomas, and one
meningioma. The cervical region was involved in four cases, the thoracolumbar region in two cases, and the lumbar region in one case. The rationale for choosing a unilateral approach is to preserve musculoligamentous attachments and posterior bony elements as much as possible. The patients were mobilized on the third postoperative day and preoperative neurological symptoms were recovered within a few weeks. We did not observe any complication relating to unilateral limited
laminectomy and at follow-up evaluation (at 3 and 12 months postoperatively), none of the patients showed spinal
deformity or spinal instability. We think that the unilateral limited
laminectomy is a safe and efficient technique for the treatment of intradural-extramedullary
spinal cord tumors. We suggest that this technique is one of the best treatments for these
tumors.