facetectomy

Facetectomy: A procedure that removes a part of the facet to increase the space.

At that time, a wide decompression with removal of the facets (facetectomy) was common.

Laminotomy is also often accompanied by facetectomy.

The cage is designed to be rotated 90 after insertion requiring medial facetectomy equal to the cranio-caudal height of the cages.

It is typically used as an adjunct to laminectomy, laminotomy, neural decompression and facetectomy, in lieu of fusion, for treatment of instabilities or deformities of the lumbar spine including:

The cage diameter for cylindrical cages and cage height in rectangular cages (where cage is inserted and rotated 90 ) dictates the extent of medial facetectomy needed for cage insertion.