Until the 1950’s, virtually the only operation for taking pressure off of the cervical (neck) spinal cord was cervical laminectomy. This review of cervical laminectomy is primarily for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy, a disease in which the cervical spinal cord is compressed by overgrown bone and soft tissues, usually as a result of degenerative arthritis. Cervical laminectomy for ruptured disc is reviewed under discectomy for cervical ruptured disc. Cervical laminoplasty is another operation that takes the pressure off the spinal cord but retains the lamina and spinous processes.

Anatomy

• The normal cervical spine is composed of seven building blocks called vertebrae (labeled C1 through C7) that sit on the thoracic (chest) spine (Figure 1)
• At the upper end of the cervical spine sits the head. The cervical spine allows the head to bend forward (flex) and backward (extend) and tilt and twist the head to the left and right
• Each vertebrae is constructed of a body, lamina, and pedicles which surround an opening, the spinal canal (Figure 2)
• On each side of a cervical vertebra lie the facets, the portion of the vertebra that forms the joints between two vertebrae (Figure 3). The bone lying between the upper and lower facets of a vertebra is called the lateral mass
• Through the spinal canal passes the spinal cord. The spinal cord is made up of many nerve tracts that run the length of the cord and carry electrical impulses from the brain to the nerve roots at every level and from the nerve roots to the brain. The major tracts that control movement are in the front (anterior) part of the cord. The major tracts that carry sensation to the brain are in the back (posterior) part of the cord
• Nerve roots are present at each level and exit the spine through holes (foramina) formed by two adjacent vertebrae. The nerve roots eventually form into nerves that go to the arms. The spinal cord and roots float in fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) and are contained within a fibrous sac called the dura
• Separating any two vertebral bodies is a soft elastic material called a disk. The disk is composed of two parts, a soft center called the nucleus and a tough outer band called the annulus. Lining the surface of the disk space of the two vertebrae on top and bottom are thin plates of cartilage. There are seven cervical disks beginning below C2 and extending below C7. There is no disk between C1 and C2
• The normal cervical spine is composed of seven building blocks called vertebrae (labeled C1 through C7) that sit on the thoracic (chest) spine (Figure 1)

Figure 1 - Cervical spine as seen from the back.	Figure 2 - Cervical spine as seen in cross-section.