Lumbar spinal canal stenosis

Treatment of lumbar spinal canal stenosis

While symptoms are still mild they can be controlled with medication. However, surgery is extremely effective for this condition, so it should be considered at some point once symptoms have deteriorated beyond a certain level and are seriously interfering with daily life.

Posterior lumbar decompression

Surgery can open up the constricted spinal canal. There are various procedures that can be used, and in our department we perform minimally invasive decompression using a microscope.

As shown in the illustration, we go into only one side of the spinal canal using a surgical microscope to cut away the minimum amount of bone required and remove the thickened ligament from inside the confined space so as to enlarge the spinal canal and relieve the pressure on the nerves.

Results

The graph below shows the results of a survey of patients who underwent this operation. SF-36 is an index for scoring quality of life. Patients who scored under 30 points before surgery improved to 75 points postoperatively, and this remained unchanged for the next five years.

Doctor's Info Han Soo Chang

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