More About Comprehensive Myelopathy - Spinal Cord Surgery

Cervical myelopathy is a damage to the part of the spinal cord that is in the neck. The cervical spine begins at the base of the skull, and extends to the first seven vertebrae.

Surgery

If there is structural pressure on the spinal cord, patient may require surgery right away. This is an attempt to avoid lasting injury. There are various different kinds of surgery and procedures to stabilize the neck, such as:

Discectomy—is done to remove a part of an intervertebral disc that is putting pressure on the spinal cord or nerve root

Laminectomy—is a surgical procedure to remove a portion of a vertebra, called the lamina

Fusion of the vertebrae

What happens before surgery?

Patient is scheduled for pre-surgical tests (e.g., blood test, electrocardiogram, chest X-ray) several days before surgery. Patients is advised to stop smoking, chewing tobacco, and drinking alcohol one week before and 2 weeks after surgery as these activities can cause bleeding problems.

What happens during surgery?

There are seven steps of the procedure. The operation mostly lasts for 1 to 3 hours.

Step 1: Patient is prepared

Step 2: Incision is made down the middle of the back over the appropriate vertebrae.

Step 3: Laminectomy or Laminotomy is performed

Step 4: Decompress the spinal cord

Step 5: Decompress the spinal nerve

Step 6: Fusion is done only if required

Step 7: (Closure) muscles & skin incisions are sewn together with sutures or staples

What happens after surgery?

Once awake the patient will be moved to the room where their activity level (sitting in a chair, walking) will be increased.

In 3 to 5 days patient will be released from the hospital.