A new laminoplasty of the cervical spine has been developed using a newly designed hydroxyapatite spacer for laminae which are open en bloc bilaterally. The trapezoidal shaped spacer, designed to fit the contour and section of the lamina, was placed on both sides of each lamina, which was anchored by titanium miniplate to the lateral mass bilaterally. We have used this method in 10 patients with cervical spondylosis and 6 patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament for expansive laminoplasty, and 4 patients with spinal tumors. The rigid fixation of laminas allowed less restricted postoperative care including a few days application of a simple neck collar. There was no postoperative complication associated with lanimoplasty. The new method, maintaining the spinolaminoligamentous complex intact, contributed to the reduction of operative time and complications sometimes found in unrigid laminoplasty. This method is compatible with laminoplasty after removal of an intracanalicular mass and for decompression surgery for canal stenosis.
