Endoscopically assisted percutaneous lumbar discectomy

Background. Endoscopically assisted percutaneus discectomy was used in the treatment of disc prolapse. The main indication to employ this technique are the cases representing clinical signs of sciatica without any major neurological deficit or features of stenosis; discographic examination confirms features of contained disc prolapse. Material and methods. We treated 43 patients with variably long history of symptoms (six weeks to three years). Results. Our results showed that the first six weeks period is crucial for is the crucial period for the prediction of recovery and long-term outcome. Some cases required further treatment with open microdiscectomy. Conclusions. We have found this technique especially useful in the treatment of disc prolapse in adolescents.