Full Endoscopic Lumbar Canal Stenosis Decompression

Stenosis can occur in any region of the spine but is most common in the lower back region (lumbar spine), in older patients. Lumbar canal stenosis is treated with both conservative and surgical methods of treatment. However, surgery is considered when conservative methods have failed. Percutaneous transforaminal full endoscopic decompression is considered as a safe and effective minimally invasive spine procedure to relieve back pain occurring due to lumbar canal stenosis.

Lumbar canal stenosis occurs due to degenerative changes which cause narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower region of your back. Spinal injuries, tumors, bone diseases and arthritis are some causative factors of lumbar canal stenosis.  Narrowing of the spinal canal can lead to compression of the nerves passing through the canal, causing severe pain in the back associated with other symptoms. The other symptoms you may experience are numbness, weakness and tingling sensation in your legs, loss of sensation in feet and burning pain from your buttocks down to the legs.

Procedure of Endoscopic lumbar canal stenosis decompression

Percutaneous transforminal endoscopic decompression is performed under local anesthesia with fluoroscopic guidance, a guide wire and endoscope. A small incision of about 8mm is made in the affected back region. Then a needle, cannula and obturator are placed over the guide wire.  Next, the endoscope in inserted and small instruments are used for drilling the bone and removal of structures obstructing the spinal canal. Finally, the cannula and endoscope are removed, after which the skin in sutured. 

Advantages of Endoscopic lumbar canal stenosis decompression

The endoscopic approach for lumbar canal stenosis has a number of advantages including:

• Smaller size incisions
• Expanded field of vision
• Better clinical efficacy for both young and elderly patients
• Lower complication rates postoperatively
• Preservation of adjacent anatomical structures
• Improved spine stability
• Decreased risk of adjacent segment disc degeneration
• Favorable long-term outcomes showing obvious decompression effect
• Shorter hospitalization periods
• Lesser amount of bone removal to achieve adequate neural decompression.