Table 4. Intra-operative and post-operative complications for laminectomy and laminotomy.
| Complication type | Laminectomy (n=70) | Laminotomy (n=49) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complications | Number of cases (%) | Complications | Number of cases (%) | ||
| Intra-operative | Dural tear† | 11 (15.7) | Dural tears† | 3 (6.1) | |
| Facet dysfunction‡ | 2 (2.9) | Facet dysfunction‡ | 1 (2.0) | ||
| Blood loss§ | 4 (5.7) | Blood loss§ | 1 (2.0) | ||
| Spinous process fracture | 1 (2.0) | ||||
| Bony ligamentum flavum¶ | 1 (2.0) | ||||
| Post-operative | Iatrogenic spondylolistheses | 1 (1.4) | Pneumonia | 1 (2.0) | |
| Superficial SSI“ | 1 (1.4) | – | – | ||
| Total | – | 19 (27.1) | – | 8 (16.3) | |
†, true tears requiring repair and those with minor arachnoid cysts with no CSF leak; ‡, facet joint sacrificed to decompress the foramina; §, requiring post-operative transfusion or exceeding that expected; ¶, calcified ligamentum found and left in situ; “, surgical site infection.