• Memduh Kaymaz, Alp Ozgun Borcek, Hakan Emmez, Emre Durdag, and Aydin Pasaoglu.
• Gazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Ankara, Turkey. kaymazm@yahoo.com
• Turk Neurosurg. 2012 Jan 1;22(4):430-4.

AimThe best method for surgical intervention in symptomatic lumbar stenosis is not clear. The present study aims to assess first year outcomes and complication rates of patients treated with single posterior decompressive laminectomy.Material And MethodsPatients requiring surgery for severe, symptomatic, lumbar spinal stenosis were evaluated retrospectively. Oswestry disability index scores as well as the complications attributable to surgery were recorded before, at the sixth month and at the twelfth month of the surgery.ResultsEighty patients were enrolled to the study. The mean age of the population was 63,14 ± 11,57. Neurogenic claudication was the most common finding (65%). Of the patients, 67.5% had severe spinal stenosis. The mean ODI score at the baseline was relatively high than in the literature and was measured as 74.30 ± 5.38. At the end of the 6 months follow-up period, all patients' ODI scores significantly improved. Moreover, this improvement continued till the end of the 12 month. The mean change in ODI at the end of the first year was 41.80% ± 12.73.ConclusionIn selected cases of symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis, single posterior decompression using laminectomy is safe and effective.

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