Full-Videoendoscopic Interlaminar Surgery for the Treatment of Lumbar Disc Herniations ­ A Series of 50 Cases

ABSTRACT

The present study aims to describe the results of full-videoendoscopic surgery through the interlaminar route for central lumbar disc herniation in a series of 50 cases in Brazil. This is a retrospective single-center study. With the aim of describing safety, the present study reports the complication and revision rates. The clinical results were collected with the visual analogue scale (VAS) and with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) (a questionnaire to evaluate functional disability) at the preoperative visit and at 6 months postsurgery. The average surgical time was 20 minutes (range 9­40 minutes), and 100% of the procedures were performed in an outpatient setting. The mean VAS scores improved from 9.4 to 1.1 (p < 0.001), and the mean ODI scores decreased from 69 to 9 points in the last follow-up (p < 0.001). There was 1 case (2%) with hernia recurrence, 1 case with intraoperative root injury (2%), and 2 cases (4%) that required lumbar fusion due to a preexisting instability. No infections were observed. The full-videoendoscopic surgery is a modern option for treating lumbar disc herniation. In the present study, we have observed that the use of this technique for the removal of fragments affecting the vertebral canal presented satisfactory clinical results, low complication rates, and that it has demonstrated its feasibility in an outpatient setting without prolonged hospitalization.