[Endoscopic sciatic nerve decompression].

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Pain Management

Background:

• Sciatic nerve neuropathy significantly impacts patients' quality of life due to severe neuropathic pain and neurological deficits.
• Current treatment options may not always provide adequate relief for severe cases, necessitating innovative approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a newly developed endoscopic sciatic nerve decompression technique.
• To assess treatment outcomes, including pain reduction and functional recovery, in patients with sciatic nerve neuropathy.

Main Methods:

• A novel endoscopic sciatic nerve decompression technique was developed and applied.
• Six patients with severe sciatic neuropathy underwent the procedure in the prone position.
• Pain severity was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pre- and post-operatively.

Main Results:

• Preoperative mean VAS score was 7.8, significantly decreasing to 1.5 at 3 months post-surgery.
• Complete pain regression and substantial reduction in neurological symptoms were observed in 83% of patients (5 out of 6).
• The procedure demonstrated a high success rate in alleviating pain and restoring lower extremity function.

Conclusions:

• The developed endoscopic sciatic nerve decompression is an easy, minimally invasive, and effective method.
• This technique offers significant pain relief and promotes rapid functional recovery for patients with sciatic nerve neuropathy.
• Further studies are warranted to confirm these preliminary findings in a larger patient cohort.