Minimally invasive lumbar intradural extramedullary tumor resection

Intradural, extramedullary schwannomas have long been treated with open midline incision, laminectomy, and dural opening to expose and resect the lesion. While this technique is well established, today new surgical techniques can be utilized to perform the same procedure while minimizing pain, size of incision, and trauma to adjacent tissues. In cases of intradural surgery, minimally invasive surgery limits the degree of soft tissue disruption. As a result, there is significant decreased dead space within the surgical cavity that may decrease the rate of CSF leak complications. Minimally invasive techniques have continuously improved over the years and have reached a point where they can be used for intradural surgeries. In this case presentation, we demonstrate a minimally invasive approach to the lumbar spine with resection of an intradural schwannoma. Surgical techniques and the nuances of the minimally invasive approach to intradural tumors compared to the standard open procedure will be discussed. The video can be found here: http://youtu.be/XXrvAIq_H48 .