A laminectomy may not be successful in releasing compression on the spinal cord if the spine is not in lordosis (normal swayback). In such a case, anterior cervical corpectomy may be necessary to treat the spinal cord compression.

As with cervical corpectomy (also done for cervical stenosis with myelopathy) the principal risk is deterioration in neurological functioning after the surgery.

To help manage this risk, the spinal cord function is often monitored during surgery by Somatosensory Evoked Potentials (SSEP's). SSEP's generate a small electrical impulse in the arms/legs, measure the corresponding response in the brain, and record the length of time it takes the signal to get to the brain. Any marked slowing in the length of time may indicate compromise to the spinal cord.

Other potential risks include:

• Dural tear (cerebrospinal fluid leak)
• <1% infection rate
• Bleeding
• Increased pain
• Instability in the spinal column
• Progressive kyphosis
• Death

A dural tear, which occurs 1% - 2% of these surgeries, does not change the result of surgery, but post-operatively the patient may be asked to lay recumbent for one to two days to allow the leak to seal.

Usually a laminectomy performed at a few levels is a safe procedure without significant long term complications or possibility of instability that may be caused by the removal of the laminar structure of the spine. When multiple levels are involved, a multi-level laminectomy can be done alone, but sometimes without the support of the lamina, the spine can fall forward (into kyphosis) resulting in a very serious and dangerous situation, which is not easily reconstructed without considerable risk.

In the image at right, note the resultant curve going the opposite way after the laminectomy, resulting in the spinal cord (blue) being draped over the bone and soft tissue.

To avoid the above problems that can result with lamina removal, instead the lamina can be reconstructed. This procedure is called the laminaplasty.