Abstract
Preservation of the ligamentum flavum together with other epidural anatomic structures, such as epidural fat tissue and venous plexuses, and limited removal of the lamina are important components in preventing epidural fibrosis that may be the cause of failed back surgery syndrome. On the other hand, ligamentum flavum is the anatomic plane between the epidural and laminar/extralaminar spaces, which should be meticulously preserved for a possible reoperation. For this reason, we present our technique, which preserves the ligamentum flavum and is in this respect, a modified microsurgical diskectomy.
Keywords: Epidural fibrosis, ligamentum flavum sparing, lumbar microdiskectomy
Copyright and license
Copyright © 2008 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.