Surgical treating lumbar intraspinal tumor through a para-split laminotomy

Background to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of para-split laminotomy in the treatment of lumbar intraspinal tumors. Methods We retrospectively review the clinical data of 15 patients suffering lumbar intraspinal tumors, who underwent tumor resection using the para-split laminotomy, from October 2016 to May 2018. Observation indicators were as follows: (1) surgical and postoperative recovery situations; (2) the neurological function of the spinal cord and the follow-up situations. Results Mean blood loss was 95.3 +/- 58.2 ml, and the mean duration of the surgical procedure was 176.7 +/- 35.2 min. All lumbar intraspinal tumors were resected completely. There were no operative complications. The postoperative CT scans showed no pedicle or vertebral fractures. During the follow-up period of 6-18 months (average 10.8 +/- 3.9 months), no tumor recurrence or spinal deformation was found according to the imaging examination. CT 3D reconstructions showed that the split laminae tended to heal. The average preoperative JOA score was 15.5 +/- 4.9 and the average postoperative JOA score improved to 24.0 +/- 3.5 (average improvement rate 65.9 +/- 19.6%). Conclusion The para-split laminotomy could reduce the damage to the posterior spinal tension band and help to protect the stability of the spine. It is feasible and effective to apply the para-split laminotomy to the operation of a lumbar intraspinal tumor, and this technique may be a promising option when considering surgical methods for some multilevel well-circumscribed intraspinal tumors.