STUDY DESIGN Prospective evaluation of 24 consecutive patients with isthmic spondylolisthesis with chronic back, buttock, and leg pain treated by endoscopic foraminal decompression and followed for a minimum of 2 years. OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy of endoscopic foraminal decompression and mobilization of the exiting and transiting nerves, discectomy, ablation of osteophytes, and impingi...

AIM The endoscopic foraminal approach in foraminal, lateral and far-lateral disc hernias, is a contemporary minimal invasive approach. This study was performed to show that the approach is possible with using the microscope without an endoscope, and even intervention on the discs within the spinal canal is possible by having access through the foramen. MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty-two cases wit...

Objective. Many surgical approaches have been defined and implemented in the last few decades for thoracic disc herniations. The endoscopic foraminal approach in foraminal, lateral, and far lateral disc hernias is a contemporary minimal invasive approach. This study was performed to show that the approach is possible using the microscope without an endoscope, and even the intervention on the di...

BACKGROUND Intraforaminal disc herniations at the L5-S1 level are extremely surgically challenging lesions. Intracanal approaches frequently require partial or total facetectomy, which may lead to instability. Solely extraforaminal approaches may offer limited visualization of the more medial superiorly exiting and inferiorly exiting nerve roots; this approach is also more complicated at L5-S1 ...

Percutaneous endoscopic discectomy (PED) is a minimally invasive technique for the treatment of lumbar foraminal or extraforaminal and foraminal disc herniations that represent up to 11% of all lumbar herniated discs (1-4) Another study defined that farlateral disc herniations, constituting 7% to 12% of all disc herniations, typically migrate cranially as they extended laterally, foraminally, a...