Back to home page



or
Search Language
Browse
Medical Illustrations
Medical Exhibits
Medical Animations
Medical Animation Titles
Medical Encyclopedia
Most Recent Uploads
Body Systems/Regions
Anatomy & Physiology
Cells & Tissues
Abdomen
Back and Spine
Foot and Ankle
Hand and Wrist
Head and Neck
Hip
Knee
Shoulder
Thorax
Medical Specialties
Anesthesiology
Cancer
Cardiology
Dentistry
Emergency Medicine
Gastroenterology
Infectious Diseases
Neurology/Neurosurgery
Nursing Home
Ob/Gyn
Orthopedics
Pathology
Pediatrics
Personal Injury
Plastic Surgery
Psychiatry
Radiology
Surgery
Urology/Nephrology
Account
Administrator Login
 
3/28/24

Lumbar Laminectomy - Medical Animation

 

This animation may only be used in support of a single legal proceeding and for no other purpose. Read our License Agreement for details. To license this image for other purposes, click here.

Ready to License?

Item #ANCE00191 — Source #1083

Order by phone: (800) 338-5954

Lumbar Laminectomy - Medical Animation
MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: Laminectomy is the surgical removal of part of the vertebral bone called the lamina. Twenty-four vertebrae make up the vertebral column, or spinal column. Each vertebra has two laminae fused together to form the roof of the spinal canal. The laminae protect the spinal cord in the neck and back regions. In the lower back where the spinal cord ends, the laminae protect the large bundle of nerve roots called the cauda equina as well as the nerve roots exiting the spine. Nerve root compression can be caused by bony spurs from arthritis, a herniated disc compressing the nerve root, or less commonly, a bony tumor of the vertebra. A laminectomy relieves back and leg pain caused by this nerve root compression by removing all or part of the lamina. This immediately alleviates the pressure on the nerve root. If a herniated disc is present, your doctor will often perform a discectomy, which directly removes the source of the compression. A laminectomy can be done on a vertebrae in the lower back called the lumbar vertebrae or those in the neck region called cervical vertebrae. Microlaminectomy and microdiscectomy are procedures performed with the aid of a microscope. When you arrive at the hospital an intravenous line will be started, and a catheter may be placed in your bladder to drain your urine. Just before surgery, you will be given either general, or spinal anesthesia. Spinal anesthesia is injected into a sac that surround your spinal cord and numbs the area where the doctor will be working. With spinal anesthesia you will be awake during the procedure, but you have no feeling in the lower half of your body. A laminectomy takes about one to three hours. You will lie on your stomach, or on your side, for the duration of the procedure. Your surgeon will begin by making a small incision overlying your spine. Retractors are used to pull fat and muscles away from the lamina. Using a special bone drill, your surgeon will cut away the lamina in order to see in to the spinal canal and locate the source of the nerve compression. If a herniated disk is causing the compression, he or she will perform a discectomy by removing the protruding part of the disk. To complete the procedure, the deep tissues and incision in your back we'll be closed with stitches. After your surgery you'll be taken to the recovery room for monitoring. The nursing staff will regularly check vital signs and the strength of the leg on the side of your surgery, to be sure the nerve has not been severely injured. You will be encouraged to get up and walk as soon as you feel comfortable. If a catheter was inserted before your surgery, it will be removed before you leave the hospital. If you've had an uncomplicated discectomy, you will likely leave the hospital the next day. Laminectomies performed for other reasons may require longer hospital stays.

YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO REVIEW THESE ITEMS:
Spinal Surgery - L4-5, L5-S1 Lumbar Disc Herniations with Laminectomy and Discectomy (Diskectomy).
Spinal Surgery - L4-5, L5-S1 Lumbar Disc Herniations with Laminectomy and Discectomy (Diskectomy). - exh4478
Medical Exhibit
Add to my lightbox
Find More Like This
Lumbar Disc Herniations with Laminectomy, Discectomy and Fusion Procedure
Lumbar Disc Herniations with Laminectomy, Discectomy and Fusion Procedure - exh4533
Medical Exhibit
Add to my lightbox
Find More Like This
Skeletal Figure with Post-accident L4-5 Spine and Right Hip Injuries and Lumbar Laminectomy and Discectomy
Skeletal Figure with Post-accident L4-5 Spine and Right Hip Injuries and Lumbar Laminectomy and Discectomy - exh4908a
Medical Exhibit
Add to my lightbox
Find More Like This
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis with Subsequent Laminectomy
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis with Subsequent Laminectomy - exh5789
Medical Exhibit
Add to my lightbox
Find More Like This
Worsening of Lumbar Disc Herniation at L5-S1 with Surgical Discectomy, Laminectomy and Fusion
Worsening of Lumbar Disc Herniation at L5-S1 with Surgical Discectomy, Laminectomy and Fusion - exh5943
Medical Exhibit
Add to my lightbox
Find More Like This
L5-6 (Anomalous) Lumbar Disc Syndrome with Laminectomy and Discectomy
L5-6 (Anomalous) Lumbar Disc Syndrome with Laminectomy and Discectomy - exh6102
Medical Exhibit
Add to my lightbox
Find More Like This
What attorneys say about MLA and The Doe Report:
"This past year, your company prepared three medical illustrations for our cases; two in which we received six figure awards; one in which we received a substantial seven figure award. I believe in large part, the amounts obtained were due to the vivid illustrations of my clients' injuries and the impact on the finder of fact."

Donald W. Marcari
Marcari Russotto & Spencer, P.C.
Chesapeake, VA
"For modern audiences, it is absolutely essential to use medical demonstrative evidence to convey the severity and extent of physical injuries to a jury. Your company's high quality illustrations of our client's discectomy surgery, combined with strong expert testimony, allowed the jury to fully appreciate the significance of our client's injuries.

We are very pleased with a verdict exceeding $297,000.00, far in excess of the $20,000.00 initially offered by the defendant. The medical demonstrative evidence provided by Medical Legal Art was an asset we could not have afforded to have been without."

Todd J. Kenyon
Attorney at Law
Minneapolis, MN

"Thanks, and your illustrations were effective in a $3 million dollar verdict last Friday."

Joseph M. Prodor
Trial Lawyer
White Rock, British Columbia
"For us, the defining feature of effective demonstrative evidence is whether, by itself, the piece will tell the story of the case. Medical legal Art provides our firm with illustrations and animations that are clear and persuasive. Their exhibits tell the story in a way that allows the jury to understand a very complex subject, very quickly."

James D. Horwitz
Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, P.C.
Bridgeport, CT

Medical Legal Blog |Find a Lawyer | Hospital Marketing