A discectomy is a surgical procdure performed to relieve pressure on nerve caused by a severe herniated disc in the lumbar spine. A slip disc can cause pain or numbness in the legs and feet when it compress the nerve. Surgery is needed if symptoms do not respond to medications and physiotherapy or if patient has severe leg pain, weakness or numbness and impaired bowel or bladder function.
A endoscopic discectomy is the latest minimally invasive procedure. An endoscope is used to view the area through a small incision around 1-1.5 cm long in the lower back to see the pinched nerve. Surgical instruments are then inserted through the incision to remove only the portion of the disc that is applying pressure on it, as well as any disc fragments that may have broken off. Endoscopic Spine Surgery has additional advantages of doing multilevel decompression through a very small cut in back. There is less post operative pain and faster rehabilitation of patient.
Patient is made to sit stand and walk from very next day and is discharged Next day. Stiches, in selected cases, can be can be self dissolving subcuticular which does not require removal. Patient can join back their desk job in 2 weeks.
Presenting here a case of a 40 year old female from Delhi who presented to us with severe buttock pain radiating to her left calf and foot for last 3 months. Her pain had increased from past 1 week and now she also had numbness and tingling in her foot. Her MRI showed a large extruded disc fragment from L5 S1 disc compressing the S1 nerve. She had tried medicines and epidural injection but did not have any releif. She underwent interlaminar endoscopy by half an inch cut in her back. A large disc fragment around one inch in length was removed . She was significantly pain free after surgery and discharged next day.
