Beginning the Operation

In the operating room, a cervical laminectomy begins with an incision in the back of your neck. Through this opening, your surgeon will reach the area where your spinal cord and/or spinal nerve(s) are being compressed.

Reaching the Compressed Nerves

After the incision is made, the surgeon will use a retractor to pull aside fat and muscle until the vertebra is exposed. A fine drill is then used to remove a section of the vertebra. Once the pinched nerve is located, your surgeon will remove the ruptured portion of the disk and any disk fragments which are compressing the nerve.

Above: A portion of the ruptured disk material being removed.