Background: Endoscopic spine surgery has been recently introduced in Australia. A comparison of endoscopic lumbar discectomy ,open or microscopic approach with learning curve is presented.
Patients and methods: A retrospective observational cohort study design of Uniportal endoscopic lumbar discectomy of a single surgeon series was conducted. All patients above 18 years of age with symptomatic disc herniation and who have failed non-surgical management were selected. This data represents the initial 100 consecutive uniportal endoscopic lumbar discectomy cases by the same surgeon. Demography, operative data, complications and postoperative results were collected.
Results: The mean age is 54.8 yrs. A significant difference in ODI (Oswestry disability index) and NPRS (numerical pain rating scale) improvement(P<0.001) was found. The average blood loss was 14mL and the average operative time was 88mins. Complication rates at 12 weeks included 3 CSF leaks and 6 recurrences, 5 of them underwent further surgery.
Conclusion: We present an Australian perspective of endoscopic lumbar discectomy. Early results reveal encouraging outcomes of endoscopic lumbar discectomy with respect to operative time, blood loss and complications. Further studies are required to evaluate long term outcomes and complications.