Laminectomy and the treatment of lower-back pain in Massachusetts

During 1984-85, laminectomy rates in Massachusetts demonstrated a 2.2-fold variation among districts. Thirty-five percent of laminectomies occurred in 7 of the 108 hospitals studied. Approximately 81% of laminectomies were performed by neurosurgeons. Rates of laminectomy decline with increasing age after 65, while rates of hospitalization for lower-back pain rise.