A biomechanical study of thoracolumbar spinal fractures with bone in the canal. Part I. The effect of laminectomy.

A simulation of thoracolumbar spinal fractures with bone in the canal was performed using fresh cadaver spines. In the study, a hole was drilled anterior to posterior in vertebral body T12 to accommodate a microload cell and displacement transducer that was then manually pushed into the canal to simulate the compressive effect of retropulsed bone on the spinal cord. In this part of the study, measurements were made pre- and postlaminectomy. The results indicated that laminectomy had no decompressive effect with up to 35% occlusion of the canal. Measurements of dural wall deflection during penetration of the load cell indicated that the anterior wall deformed locally due to penetration of the load cell with minimal displacement of the posterior wall occurring.