Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 26, 2025
01:24
Full-Endoscopic Transforaminal Approach for Lumbar Discectomy
Published on: September 8, 2023
602
Full Endoscopic Thoracic Discectomy: Is the Interlaminar Approach an Alternative to the Transforaminal Approach? A
Marcelo Campos Moraes Amato1, Bruno César Aprile2, Luiz Adriano Esteves3
1Neurosurgeon, Amato - Instituto de Medicina Avançada, São Paulo, Brazil amato@neurocirurgia.com.
International Journal of Spine Surgery
|April 21, 2022
Summary
Full endoscopic spine surgery (FESS) using interlaminar and transforaminal approaches offers a safe and effective minimally invasive option for thoracic disc herniation, with rapid recovery and high patient satisfaction.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Background:
- Conventional decompressive surgeries for thoracic spine pathologies often avoid spinal cord manipulation.
- Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) aims to reduce morbidity while achieving adequate surgical outcomes.
- Full endoscopic spine surgery (FESS) has demonstrated success in lumbar and cervical spine procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present the full endoscopic interlaminar and transforaminal techniques for thoracic disc herniation.
- To discuss the rationale for implementing FESS in the thoracic spine.
- To analyze the decision-making process between interlaminar and transforaminal approaches.
Main Methods:
- Two patients underwent thoracic FESS: one with a T10-T11 foraminal disc herniation (transforaminal approach) and another with a T7-T8 paramedian disc extrusion (interlaminar approach).
- Surgical outcomes evaluated included operating time, intraoperative imaging, hospital stay, pain reduction (visual analog scale), recovery, and patient satisfaction.
Main Results:
- Both surgeries were uneventful, with significant improvement in preoperative pain and no reported morbidity.
- Patients reported high satisfaction and experienced a good recovery.
- Hospital stay was notably short, less than 6 hours post-surgery.
Conclusions:
- Transforaminal and interlaminar FESS are safe, efficient, and minimally invasive alternatives for treating thoracic disc herniation.
- While FESS presents advantages, its clinical relevance compared to conventional techniques for thoracic spine diseases requires further determination.
