Page "Laminectomy" Paragraph 2

A lamina is rarely, if ever, removed because it itself is diseased.

Instead, removal is done to: ( 1 ) break the continuity of the rigid ring of the spinal canal to allow the soft tissues within the canal to expand ( decompression ), or ( 2 ) as one step in changing the contour of the vertebral column, or ( 3 ) in order to allow the surgeon access to deeper tissues inside the spinal canal.

Laminectomy is also the name of a spinal operation that conventionally includes the removal of one or both lamina as well as other posterior supporting structures of the vertebral column, including ligaments and additional bone.