Background: In cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), laminoplasty (LP) or laminectomy plus fusion (LF) are accepted operative options and alternatives to anterior approaches. Both LP and LF have distinctive disadvantages, which might be avoided by unilateral hemilaminectomy and bilateral decompression of the spinal cord.
Methods: Description of the surgical technique, indications, and limitations. The potential advantages in comparison to LP and LF are discussed.
Conclusions: Unilateral hemilaminectomy allows bilateral decompression of the whole dorsal circumference of spinal cord from nerve root to nerve root. The potential major advantages are a reduction of invasiveness by only unilateral muscle detachment, avoidance of implants, and shorter operation times.
Keywords: Bilateral decompression; Cervical spine; Cervical spondylotic myelopathy; Decompression; Hemilaminectomy; Spinal canal stenosis.