Spinal anesthesia for L5-S1 interlaminar endoscopic lumbar discectomy: a retrospective study

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Anesthesiology
• Spinal Surgery

Background:

• L5-S1 interlaminar endoscopic lumbar discectomy (IELD) is a minimally invasive procedure.
• Anesthesia choice impacts patient outcomes and recovery after IELD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of spinal anesthesia (SA) for L5-S1 IELD.
• To identify the advantages and disadvantages of using SA in this surgical context.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 112 patients undergoing IELD under SA.
• Administration of 0.5% ropivacaine via a 27-gauge needle.
• Documentation of intraoperative and postoperative outcomes, including pain scores, ambulation, and complications.

Main Results:

• Complete intraoperative analgesia with mean VAS scores of 0 and 2.43 postoperatively.
• High same-day ambulation rate (98/112 patients) and short hospital stay (24.36 hours).
• Low incidence of adverse events, with no cases of spinal headache, cauda equina syndrome, or neurotoxicity.

Conclusions:

• Spinal anesthesia offers effective pain management for IELD with minimal adverse events.
• SA presents a potentially advantageous alternative to local or general anesthesia for IELD.
• Further randomized controlled trials are recommended to confirm these findings.