Early results of multiple decompressive fenestrations in multisegmental degenerative lumbar canal stenosis

ABSTRACT

Removal of the posterior elements in decompressive laminectomy for lumbar canal stenosis carries the risk of instability that complicates surgery by inviting fusion. In this study, 16 cases with degenerative lumbar canal stenosis were operated upon using multiple fenestrations to decompress the canal at many levels with removal of lizamentum flavum and interspinous ligament only. This technique gave promising satisfactory results that exceeds results of classical laminectomy and needed no fusion. The good and excellent results reached 81.25% with an average follow up of 21 months. This minimal surgery was suitable for Egyptian patients at this age group as it suits their basic needs. This promising result still needs further studies in bigger groups of patients where classification into uniform groups regarding the pathology and clinical picture is advised for better assessment