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¹Atatürk University, Medical Faculty, Departments of Neurosurgery, Erzurum, Turkey
²Atatürk University, Medical Faculty, Departments of Radiology, Erzurum, Turkey Fourteen pediatric patients with spinal dysraphism and associated mild spinal deformities underwent multilevel laminotomy in the years 1993 through 1998. At the time of surgery, the 8 male and 6 female patients ranged from 0 to 2 years of age, and their mean age was 5.3 months. All were evaluated using the Spina Bifida Neurological Scale, and all except two individuals with minimal neurological deficits were in good neurological condition prior to surgery. Cervical meningocele was detected in two individuals, lipomyelomeningocele in six, dermal sinus tract in three, thoracic meningocele in two, and type II split cord malformation in one patient. Each individual was followed for at least 6 months after surgery. We obtained serial x rays to track the patients' progress, taking the first films on day 1 postsurgery and the others monthly thereafter throughout follow-up. There were no operative deaths and only one patient developed a wound infection. The study showed that multilevel laminotomy is a very efficient means of realigning and healing the spine in children with mild spinal deformity. Keywords : Children, laminotomy, spinal dysraphism