Suspension laminotomy: a new surgical technique for compression myelopathy.

In an attempt to eliminate the many negative aspects of conventional extensive laminectomy, we originated in 1981 and have developed a new surgical technique called "suspension laminotomy." A basic principle of this operation is preservation and repair of the soft and bony tissue of the spine with osseous enlargement of the spinal canal. Eighty-one patients were treated with suspension laminotomy. This operative technique can be applied to almost all segments of the spine and can be used for all cases that would usually have been treated with conventional extensive laminectomy. We emphasize the necessity of repairing paraspinal muscles and discuss the postoperative spinal deformities and the dural constriction, which seemed to be caused by scar formation after conventional laminectomy. Suspension laminotomy should minimize the negative aspects of conventional extensive laminectomy.