Clinical case

central canal stenosis

In the case that we bring to you today, we found a patient who suffered from functional impotence that prevented him from carrying out his daily life normally.

Preoperative

In addition, he had a limitation when walking that had been progressing and that caused him great suffering as he was not able to perform many of the daily tasks that he previously performed normally.

To all this we must add the pain that patients learn to bear as if they had no choice but to get used to it.

After observing the case, we diagnosed a stenosis of the L4L5 central canal with signs of root compression in the territory of L4L5 and L5S1, which caused neurogenic claudication and was preventing him from walking normally.

Performing an MRI, we also observed severe degeneration of the aforementioned disc and facet hypertrophy accompanying the canal stenosis detected previously.

We concluded that the best option for the patient was surgery as a treatment for the lumbar disc herniation.

Operation

We begin the operation by performing a posterior interlaminar approach with a guide needle that helps us access the yellow ligament bilaterally.

Once we have located the area in which we are going to work, upper hemilaminectomies are also performed bilaterally. We must do this process until we have verified the adequate release of the channel and the neurological structures that were previously compromised.

This entire process is performed during an operation under mild general anesthesia that lasts less than an hour and a half.

Postoperative

After two hours of surgery, which passed without any complications, the postoperative period passed without incident and the patient soon began to walk normally and without noticing pain.

He himself reported the progressive disappearance of the pain he suffered in both legs, allowing him to stand and walk as he would have done before the compression process. The patient can progressively return to his or her normal life, leaving the hospital with a prescribed treatment of mild medication that will be taken orally.