In simple words: The surgeon removes a small part of the backbone to drain a fluid-filled sac within the spinal cord. This fluid is drained into the space surrounding the spinal cord.

This procedure involves removing the lamina (the back part of a vertebra) to access and drain a cyst or syrinx located within the spinal cord into the subarachnoid space. The subarachnoid space is the area between the membranes that surround the spinal cord and contains cerebrospinal fluid.

Example 1: A patient presents with progressive weakness and sensory loss due to a syrinx in the thoracic spinal cord. A laminectomy and drainage of the syrinx into the subarachnoid space is performed to alleviate pressure on the spinal cord., A patient experiences pain and neurological deficits caused by an intramedullary cyst in the cervical spine. The surgeon performs a laminectomy and drains the cyst into the subarachnoid space., Following a spinal cord injury, a patient develops a post-traumatic syrinx. To manage the syrinx and improve neurological function, a laminectomy with drainage to the subarachnoid space is carried out.

Documentation should include the diagnosis, operative report detailing the procedure, size and location of the cyst/syrinx, method of drainage, and any complications.