OrthoNeuroSpine & Pain Institute

Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Spine Surgery

About 5- 10 % of all herniated discs may need surgery after nonoperative means have been exhausted. However, a new endoscopic spine surgery being performed allows you as a patient to be able to walk home the same day and be pain-free after a couple of weeks enabling you to live your life actively again.

No general anesthesia

In general no postoperative pain or muscle pain

Outpatient treatment without hospital stay

• No injury of muscles and connective tissue
• No scarring
• Very low risk of infections
• Very short recovery time

During the surgical operation - which lasts approximately one hour - the patient is analgosedated. This means that the pain is numbed (analgesia), and the patient is sedated (sedation). Compared to general anaesthesia, the patient is able to react immediately to possible pain, meaning nerve damage is almost impossible.

Although the patient is awake and responsive during the whole surgical operation, memory capacity is limited. As a result, the procedure is also suitable for patients with fear of surgery.

Thanks to improvements in anaesthesia, analgesia is well tolerated, and can even be used on elderly patients, or patients with cardiovascular problems. For elderly patients anesthesists rely on Remifentanil hydrochloride as it is decomposed by the tissue rather than by the liver and kidneys.

The surgeon removes only leaked and damaged íntervertebral disc material, and does not injure surrounding tissue. Therefore stability of the spinal column is maintained, and patients can generally leave the hospital on the same day.

Smallest possible access

When operating according to this method, surgeons avoid wide and deep cuts. Instead, surrounding tissue is dilated step by step, and the muscles and connective tissue surrounding the spinal column are protected. The treatment is “bloodless”. Scarring, wound and muscle pain is very rare, and the risk of infection is reduced considerably.

Quick recovery

“The Cleveland Clinic Foundation” states that “a patient who has been treated according to the endoscopic method will be free of pain within three to six weeks, whereas the recovery period for the conventional method is estimated at three to six months.”

The success rate of the TESSYS® method is proven to lie around 90%. Generally, the number of patients who have to be re-operated on is relatively small at only 5%-6%, this compares favourably to patients previously operated on using another method where approximately 10% to 12% require another operation.

What is Endoscopic Discectomy?

Endoscopic Discectomy is a procedure used to remove damaged disc material in the spine. It is a minimally invasive technique that unlike the conventional procedure does not involve major tissue injury. Instead, a small metal tube, the size of a pencil, is inserted into the herniated disc space under x-ray guidance. The tube serves as a passage for the surgical tools and a tiny camera (endoscope). Under the guidance of real-time x-ray image (fluoroscopy) and a magnified live video feed, the fragment of the disc pinching the nerve is removed.

Who should get Endoscopic Discectomy?

You might benefit from discectomy if your presentation includes:

• Pain, numbness or weakness in arms or legs
• MRI, CT Scan, or discogram reveal disc problems such as disc annular tear, disc bulge, or disc herniation.
• Electromyogram (EMG), a nerve diagnostic test demonstrates nerve root compression or irriation

What are advantages of endoscopic discectomy over a conventional open procedure?

Endoscopic discectomy is a minimally invasive procedure with very little blood loss, tissue damage or scar formation. It has a short recovery period with patients usually going home the same day.

What are the risks or potential complications?

Discectomy is generally a safe procedure. But as with any interventional procedure, it carries a small risk of potential complications such as bleeding, infection, leaking spinal fluid and injury to blood vessels or nerves around the spine.