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Ventrally Approached Cervical Endoscopy

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Endoscopic Procedures on the Spine
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Abstract

The gold standard surgical technique for cervical disc herniation or cervical radiculopathy is anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), which has been regarded as safe and effective with satisfactory fusion rates. However, considerable approach-related and fusion-related complications have been reported. Percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy using working channel endoscope has been developed to reduce those complications and tissue trauma associated with open surgery. The surgical procedure can be summarized by three steps: (1) a safe anterior percutaneous approach, (2) precise endoscopic localization of the target disc pathology, and (3) effective neural decompression with endoscopic instruments. The clinical outcomes were comparable to those of conventional open surgery with benefits of minimally invasive spine surgery. Ventral PECD technique will become more practical and safer with technical advancement in surgical instruments and optics in the near future.

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Ahn, Y. (2020). Ventrally Approached Cervical Endoscopy. In: Kim, JS., Lee, J., Ahn, Y. (eds) Endoscopic Procedures on the Spine. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3905-8_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3905-8_4

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