Assessing the Incidence and Severity of Postoperative Complications in Open Lumbar Fenestration and Laminectomy: A comparative study

Abstract

Background: Open lumbar fenestration and laminectomy are common surgical interventions for treating spinal stenosis and other lumbar conditions. Objectives: To assess the incidence and severity of postoperative complications and compare recovery outcomes between discectomy and laminectomy procedures. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 30 patients at District Headquarter Teaching Hospital, Dera Ismail Khan from January 2023 to December 2023, who underwent either discectomy (n=16) or laminectomy (n=14). Data on surgical time, postoperative complications and recovery scores were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. Results: The average surgical time was longer for the laminectomy group (130 ± 35 mins) compared to the discectomy group (110 ± 25 mins), though this difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Complication rates were similar between groups, with discitis (6.7%), wound infection (10%) and lower limb weakness (3.3%) occurring at low rates without significant differences between the surgical types (p>0.05). Recovery scores were significantly higher in the discectomy group (88 ± 9) compared to the laminectomy group (81 ± 11), with a mean difference of 7 points (p<0.05). Conclusions: Both discectomy and laminectomy are safe and effective treatments for lumbar spinal conditions, exhibiting comparable complication rates. However, discectomy may offer a faster and more favorable recovery. There is necessity of considering individual patient profiles and expected recovery trajectories in surgical planning.