Introduction:

Achondroplasia is the most common form of short-limb dwarfism in humans, with an incidence of 1 in 25,000-40,000 live births. About one third of achondroplasia patients will require operative intervention for lumbar spinal stenosis, generally presenting with progressive neurogenic claudication. The anatomy of the achondroplastic lumbar spine, with shortened pedicles, hypertrophic zygapophyseal joints, and thickened laminae frequently results in the development of multi-level interapophyseolaminar stenosis, while stenosis is usually absent at the mid-laminar levels secondary to pseudoscalloping of the vertebral bodies. Treatment remains controversial, as disrupting the posterior tension band with complete laminectomies in the pediatric population puts patients at risk of developing postlaminectomy kyphosis.

Case presentation:

A 15-year-old girl with achondroplasia presented to clinic with debilitating neurogenic claudication in the setting of multi-level lumbar interapophyseolaminar stenosis. We present a technical case report of her successful surgical treatment using a midline posterior tension band sparing modification to the interapophyseolaminar decompression technique proposed by Thomeer et al..

Discussion/conclusion:

We demonstrate that an adequate interapophyseolaminar decompression can be achieved through the performance of bilateral laminotomies, bilateral medial facetectomies, and undercutting of the ventral spinous process while preserving supraspinous and interspinous ligament attachments. Given the generally multi-level nature of lumbar stenosis and longer life expectancies of pediatric achondroplasia patients, decompressive surgical interventions must aspire to minimize disruption of spine biomechanics if fusion surgery is to be avoided.