Application of Oscillating Saw for Lumbar en Bloc Laminectomy: A Case Series

An oscillating bone saw is rarely used to perform laminectomy. The purpose of this study was to describe a relatively quick and harmless technique for multilevel laminectomy in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) using an oscillating bone saw to find out how this instrument affects the time of surgery and rate of complications.

This prospective study was conducted on 45 patients with LSS who required multilevel laminectomy. The bones were cut using an oscillating sagittal saw equipped with a fine 1-cm blade. Posterolateral fusion was performed if any evidence of spinal instability occurred, or the correction of deformity was addressed. The time spent for laminectomy from initial cutting to the whole bone removal (T1) and the duration of laminectomy (i.e., from initiation to the end of decompression; T2) were recorded for the corresponding level. The volume of harvested autograft was also measured, and any dural injuries were reported.

Posterolateral fusion was performed on 32 (71.1%) patients. The mean T1 and T2 per level were estimated at 70.5±5.4 and 157.5±12.1 sec, respectively. In addition, the mean volume of harvested autograft per level was obtained as 3.5±1.2 cc. No durotomy was observed during laminectomy using an oscillating bone saw. However, a dural tear occurred in one patient when a Kerisson punch was utilized for ligamentum flavum removal and foraminotomy.

Based on the findings, it can be concluded that laminectomy by means of the oscillating bone saw is a safe procedure that provides a sufficient volume of harvested autograft for fusion. This technique could also induce a remarkable reduction in the time of surgery.