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Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Endoscopic Discectomy: Transdiscal Approach

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Abstract

Since Kambin performed the first endoscopic discectomy in 1983 [1], various minimally invasive surgical techniques have been developed to mitigate the deleterious effects of disc herniation and nerve root compression. The current minimally invasive discectomy approaches are interlaminar, transforaminal, and transdiscal. Regardless of the approach, the goal is the resection of a herniated disc under direct endoscopic visualization. Compared with open discectomy, minimally invasive methods have been shown to eliminate cutting of muscles, reduce the rate of infection, shorten operating time, minimize blood loss, and decrease the incidence of cerebral spinal fluid leak and other major complications [2–5]. Although the routine use of endoscopic discectomy for the lumbar and cervical spine remains controversial [6–13], future high-quality research will help to delineate optimal treatment algorithms. This chapter presents the current concepts of the most commonly performed endoscopic spinal surgery [14–17]—the transdiscal approach. Relevant spinal anatomy, patient selection, clinical considerations, and the detailed surgical techniques are discussed.

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Correspondence to Sudhir Diwan .

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Yang, A., Diwan, S. (2018). Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Endoscopic Discectomy: Transdiscal Approach. In: Diwan, S., Deer, T. (eds) Advanced Procedures for Pain Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68841-1_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68841-1_5

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