Unilateral Laminectomy Approach for the Removal of Spinal Meningiomas and Schwannomas: Impact on Pain, Spinal Stability, and Neurologic Results

Hemilaminectomy for spinal meningioma: A case series of 20 patients with a focus on ventral- and ventrolateral lesions

“…Vertebrectomy and costotransversectomy have been suggested to improve the working field if adhesion is suspected, as in the case of calcified meningiomas (2,4,5,7,9,12,22), where a posterior approach is considered risky because of the absence of a normal dissection plane along the arachnoid membrane (5,7,10). The predominance of psammomatous meningiomas and the good clinical results in our series seem to disagree with the literature; we had good results with the posterior approach, even in patients with calcified meningiomas.…”

“…This technique may be used to expose up to 3 levels or more, making it preferable for lesions with multisegmental extension for which MIS is usually contraindicated due to the limitations imposed by the tubular retractor. The tendency of psammomatous meningioma toward pial invasion (9,22) impairs the possibility of complete tumor removal by the posterior approach because of spinal-cord adherence (3,7,10).…”

“…Despite the wide use of microneurosurgery and the development of minimally invasive techniques, few results have been reported on the use of unilateral laminectomy for the resection of ventral meningiomas (9,10). This approach is acknowledged to be of limited utility for the removal of entirely ventral tumors, especially those that are large and calcified (11).…”

Endoscopically-controlled surgery with open hemi-laminectomy for the treatment of intradural extramedullary tumors: An operative technique and short-term outcomes of 20 consecutive cases

“…Recently, hemi-laminectomy with microsurgery has become a promising technique for the treatment of a number of spinal tumors. This approach preserves the spinous process and its base, as well as the contralateral lamina, including ligamentum flavum and muscle [9]. Nevertheless, surgical reports demonstrated its preferred use for small and laterally located masses.…”

“…Nevertheless, surgical reports demonstrated its preferred use for small and laterally located masses. Several previous studies have attempted to improve various aspects of bone work required during hemi-laminectomy to gain more exposure for the tumor resection [3,9,10].…”