Perioperative Complications of Unilateral Laminotomy for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis in the Elderly Patients

, Dong Yeob Lee1; , Hoon Jae Chung2

Clinical Article

Journal of Korean Society of Geriatric Neurosurgery 2017;13(1):8-12.
Published online June 30, 2017.

Perioperative Complications of Unilateral Laminotomy for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis in the Elderly Patients

Dong Yeob Lee1 , Hoon Jae Chung2

Departments of ¹Neurosurgery, ²Orthopedic Surgery, Bumin Hospital Seoul, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Objective
To evaluate perioperative complication rate in elderly patients following unilateral laminotomy for lumbar spinal stenosis.
Methods
Forty four consecutive patients underwent unilateral laminotomy for lumbar spinal stenosis in 2016. All surgeries were done under epidural anesthesia with continuous sedation using midazolam, fentanyl and propofol. Twenty elderly patients ≥70 years of age (7 men, 13 women; mean age of 76.7 years, range 70-88 years) were classified into group A and 24 patients <70 years of age (12 men, 12 women; mean age 59.7 years, range 43-69 years) comprised group B. In group A, surgery for single-level and multi-level stenosis involved 4 and 16 patients, respectively. The respective surgeries in group B involved 9 and 15 patients. Minor or major adverse events within 4 weeks of the surgery were considered as perioperative complications.
Results
One patient (5%) in group A and 2 (8.3%) in group B experienced intraoperative unintended durotomy, which was regarded as a minor complication. None underwent revision surgery due to the complication. There was no major morbidity or mortality. There was no significant difference in the incidence of perioperative complications between the groups.
Conclusion
In terms of perioperative complications, unilateral laminotomy was a safe surgical method for elderly patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

Key Words: Aged, Spinal stenosis, Lumbar vertebrae, Complications