What is endoscopic spine surgery?
Endoscopic spine surgery allows to reduce to the maximum the aggressiveness on the patient’s tissues and improves the result of open surgery. At the beginning of the operation, a small incision of 5 – 7 mm is made through which the material necessary for the surgery can be introduced. A cannula that incorporates an optic of maximum precision that will allow to explore the area and work comfortably on the affected part without causing damage to the surrounding tissues. Recovery will be favorable because no major dissection is performed to allow access to the spine. This is the main advantage of endoscopic spine surgery.
Why is endoscopic spine surgery performed?
This treatment is focused on lumbar disc herniation surgery and canal stenosis surgery. Endoscopic spine surgery is intended to cause the least possible harm to the patient. It is a useful treatment for low back pain and lumbosciatica. It is indicated on many occasions in which previously very little could be done from a surgical point of view, since there was no complete neurological compromise. This type of surgery is aimed at becoming a common procedure, as is the case today with knee arthroscopies. No surgeon decides to operate on a meniscal tear through open surgery without first undergoing arthroscopy.
Endoscopic spine surgery seeks to perform the least possible damage to the patient’s structures.
What does endoscopic spine surgery consist of?
Endoscopic spine surgery seeks to do as little damage as possible to the patient’s structures. For this, an incision is made, a cannula is placed through which an optic is introduced that allows to enlarge and to be able to observe more precisely the working field. In other words, this technique does not require us to make large incisions to reach the patient’s spine.
Preparation for endoscopic spine surgery and care after the operation
First of all, the patient is admitted first thing in the morning, and that same morning he/she will be operated on. The patient will be admitted to the hospital for one day and then discharged the following day. One day after the operation, the patient will be able to leave on his own feet with a lumbar bandage to guarantee his comfort, and two weeks later he will return for a check-up and the removal of the two or three stitches that have been made in the area of the incision.