Introduction: Whether recapping laminoplasty can prevention postoperative spinal kyphotic deformity following surgery for spinal tumors is unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare the postoperative spinal kyphotic deformity of lumbar intradural tumors patients who underwent recapping laminoplasty and those who underwent laminectomy.

Methods: A retrospective study involving 20 patients (9 males, 11 females, mean age: 55.3 years) with lumbar intradural tumors who underwent surgery at our hospital and were treated for more than 2 years after surgery was performed. The patients were divided into two groups: 7 patients who underwent laminectomy (LN group) and 13 patients who underwent recapping laminoplasty (LP group). The progression of postoperative spinal kyphotic deformity from before surgery to 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after surgery was compared.

Results: Kyphotic deformity at 1 year and 2 years after surgery was significantly smaller in the LP group (1 year: LP group 0.6±2.0, LN group 7.9±5.5, p = 0.008; 2 years: LP group 1.3±2.9, LN group 7.6±4.8, p=0.037). There was no significant progression of kyphotic deformity at 6 months, 1 year, or 2 years after surgery in the LP group.

Conclusion: Recapping laminoplasty for patients with lumbar intradural tumor is a useful method that can preserve the posterior spinal elements and prevent postoperative kyphosis.