World Spine Day: Why Choose Endoscopic Surgery?

Endoscopic Spine Surgery is part of the minimally invasive techniques. It is performed transdermally with small skin incisions and the use of micro-techniques under magnification. This avoids bleeding and minimizes the destruction of adjacent tissues, achieving an even surgical result.

On the occasion of World Spine Day (October 16), surgeons explain why one should choose the minimally invasive technique of endoscopic surgery for the treatment of spine diseases.

Postoperative recovery is rapid and postoperative pain is often zero. Patients can leave the hospital in a maximum of 24 hours or on the same day, just a few hours after surgery. They are immediately functional and can return to work in a very short time.

The most important diseases of the spine are:
• Degenerative Disc Disease of the intervertebral discs
• Traumatic intervertebral disc herniation

Inflammations of the discs and vertebrae, such as vertebral discitis
• The narrowing of the spinal canal

Spinal endoscopic surgery (using thin endoscopes):
Almost all endoscopic operations on the spine are performed under local anesthesia and are bloodless - that is, the patient does not bleed during surgery. Indicatively, the following are mentioned:
Endoscopic discectomy to remove the disc herniation and fibrous ring plastic surgery.
Endoscopic rhizotomy with which the pain in the back is treated, denervating with the help of laser or special diathermy the nerve branches that are responsible for the pain.
Endoscopic decompression of the spine (opening of the spinal canal) with locking or hemipelectomy in cases of stenosis.
· Endoscopic trauma (opening of the hole), giving space and decompressing the nerves that are pressed in the spine.
· Percutaneous spinal fusion with the help of an endoscope.Many of the above techniques are performed under local anesthesia. Thus the patient leaves the hospital usually on the same day, ie a few hours after the operation, returning to his normal activities as soon as possible.

Advantages of endoscopic spine surgery:
Small incisions of the skin, thus minimizing the destruction of the surrounding tissues.
Avoid bleeding.
Local anesthesia in most techniques.
Rapid postoperative rehabilitation-healing.
Almost zero pain after surgery.
Shorter hospital stay: patients are discharged the next day at most or just a few hours after surgery.