Another procedure, called the laminotomy, is the removal of a mid-portion of one lamina and may be done either with a conventional open technique or in a minimalistic fashion with the use of tubular retractors and endoscopes.

[citation needed] The success rate of a laminectomy depends on the specific reason for the operation, as well as proper patient selection and the surgeon's technical ability.

A common type of laminectomy is performed to permit the removal or reshaping of a spinal disc as part of a lumbar discectomy.

[1] Potential complications include bleeding, infection, blood clots, nerve injury, and spinal fluid leak.

[3] However, if the spinal column is unstable and fusion is required, the recovery period can last from several months to more than a year, and the likelihood of symptom relief is far less probable.

[4] In most known cases of lumbar and thoracic laminectomies,[5] patients tend to recover slowly, with recurring pain or spinal stenosis persisting for up to 18 months after the procedure.

According to a World Health Organization census in 2001, most patients who had undergone a lumbar laminectomy recovered normal function within one year of their operation.