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Updated: Jul 9, 2026
Lateral-PLIF for Lumbar Spinal Arthrodesis: A Detailed Step-By-Step Surgical Technique
Published on: January 23, 2026
Multiple short-segment laminoplasties in children: a novel technique to avoid postoperative spinal deformity
1Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Pediatric Surgery, British Columbia's Children's Hospital, Children's and Women's Health Center, 4480 Oak St, #K3-159, Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4, Canada. psteinbok@cw.bc.ca
Introduction:
Spinal deformity is a recognized important complication after laminectomies, especially in children. Even with laminoplasties, spinal deformity is a concern, especially when laminoplasties involve multiple levels. The author reports a novel technique to avoid postoperative spinal deformity using multiple short-segment replacement laminoplasties to access pathology over a long segment of the intraspinal space.
Report:
The technique was used to evacuate an organized extradural hematoma from C4 to T9 in a 9-month-old infant with incomplete quadriplegia. Three separate, short-segment, and superiorly reflected laminoplasties (C5-C7; T2-T4; T6-T8) were performed, leaving intact the laminae (T1; T5) between each laminoplasty flap. At 1 year postoperatively, there was complete neurological recovery and no spinal deformity. The laminae re-fused anatomically.
Conclusions:
Multiple short-segment laminoplasties allow good access to a long intraspinal segment, may preserve the stability of the spine, prevent spinal deformity, allow good reconstitution of the laminar anatomy, and facilitate surgical stabilization should that be required in the future. This technique may be applicable to other intraspinal lesions, such as tumors.
