Endoscopic spine surgery, also known as minimally invasive spine surgery, consists of trying to apply the same principles as open surgery, but with the least possible aggression to the patient’s structures. To do this, a small incision of about 15 millimeters is made, where a cannula of that size is placed and inside this cannula we introduce an optic that allows us to enlarge and magnify the field of work, therefore, it does not force us to perform large dissections to access the patient’s spine.
Origins of endoscopic surgery
Endoscopic surgery is also called ‘Minimally Invasive Surgery’. This method began in the mid-1970s with arthroscopies, such as knee and shoulder arthroscopies, among others. In the 1980s, progress continued with endoscopies (abdominal, urogenital, etc.) and currently with the new endoscopic spine surgery.
In recent years, technological advances in the field of spinal surgery have been very great with very positive results, since the risk of complications is greater the greater the complexity of the intervention.
A little over ten years ago, and once he had completed his training as an arthroscopic surgeon specializing in shoulder pathology, Dr. Marqués began to apply these minimally invasive surgical techniques to conventional spine surgery. The objective was very simple: to ensure that his patients with spinal injuries could benefit from the advantages of minimally invasive surgery in the same way as patients with injuries to other joints who were already doing so thanks to arthroscopic techniques.
Here we can listen to the testimony of a patient of Dr. Marqués, who underwent endoscopic spine surgery:
Advantages of endoscopic surgery over other techniques.
The advantages of minimally invasive surgery or endoscopic surgery over conventional surgery are numerous. Some of them are the following:
- Smaller incision with reduced trauma to muscle tissues.
- Reduction in the rate of infections.
- Less post-surgical pain, with a reduction in the consumption of analgesics.
- Shorter hospital stay. The fact of making barely perceptible incisions reduces the need to remain hospitalized and accelerates recovery.
- Early postoperative reintegration to daily activity and work.
- Better aesthetic appearance. The scar does not exceed 1.5 – 2 centimeters.
Postoperative period and return to normality after endoscopic surgery.
Usually, the process for both herniated disc surgery and endoscopic canal stenosis surgery is as follows: the patient is admitted in the morning, is operated on that same morning, remains in the hospital for a day and is discharged the following morning.
The patient is living a normal life, practically from the moment he leaves the hospital, with the limitations that his discomfort may cause him, without sporting activities or aggressive exercise.
In fact, up to 90% of the patients go home the day after surgery and are allowed to lead a normal life, although without sporting or heavy activities. The stitches are removed after two weeks and the patient is discharged six weeks after surgery. It is therefore a surgery that allows us to increase the quality of life of the patients by means of a minimal aggression.
The average age of the patients who have undergone this technique in the last two years has been 75 years, ranging from 27 years for the youngest patient to 95 years for the oldest.
For more information on endoscopic surgery, consult a specialist in minimally invasive surgery or a specialist in traumatology.