laminectomy

American  

[lam-uh-nek-tuh-mee] / ˌlæm əˈnɛk tə mi /

noun

laminectomies plural

1. the surgical removal of part of the posterior arch of a vertebra to provide access to the spinal canal, as for the excision of a ruptured disk.

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laminectomy British  

/ ˌlæmɪˈnɛktəmɪ /

noun

1. Also called: rachiotomy.  surgical incision into the backbone to gain access to the spinal cord

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Etymology

Origin of laminectomy

First recorded in 1890–95; lamin(a) + -ectomy

Example Sentences

If a fracture isn’t the problem but a misaligned disk is compressing nearby nerves, surgeons may perform a laminectomy.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2024

A simple laminectomy, in which the back portions of a couple vertebrae are removed in order to widen the canal, might cost five or seven thousand dollars.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 29, 2016

In April, Swedish scientists published the results of an inquiry into spinal-stenosis treatments, examining nearly two hundred and fifty patients who had been randomly assigned to undergo laminectomy alone or added fusion.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 29, 2016

A disc surgery for lower-back pain, called a laminectomy, costs Aetna about $6,000 in-network yet reaps nearly $120,000 for Bay Area Surgical.

From BusinessWeek • Jul. 19, 2012

Some authors are lukewarm in their advocacy of this operation, but we can cite a number of cases in which, after laminectomy, an apparently hopeless paraplegia has been entirely got rid of.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander