Endoscopic microdiscectomy is an advanced minimally invasive surgical technique used to treat the symptoms of a prolapsed disc in the spine (also called a herniated or slipped disc).The spine is made up of vertebrae, which are roughly circular in shape. Between each vertebra is a disc of strong rubber-like tissue that allows the spine to be flexible and acts as a shock-absorber.
A prolapsed spinal disc occurs when a disc becomes worn or injured and the soft gel-like inner part protrudes (or herniates) through a rupture in the out fibrous part of the disc. The damaged disc is then often pressing against a spinal nerve resulting in severe pain. There is frequently inflammation present that can also cause pain. Although this can happen to any part of the spine most prolapsed discs occur in the lumbar region, or lower back.
In the majority of cases, the protrusions will get smaller over time and the symptoms will ease. However, in around 1 in 10 cases the pain is still bad enough to consider discectomy. During discectomy the part of the disc that is herniated and is pushing into the spinal canal is removed together with any loose fragments of disc. But alongside the usual risks inherent in any surgery one of the major drawbacks of traditional discectomy is the lengthy recovery period associated with it. However, with minimally-invasive endoscopic microdiscectomy, where the incision is only the size of a needle, there is far less tissue damage and a greatly improved recovery rate.
Leading spinal neurosurgeon, Mr Irfan Malik, explained the advantages of this type of surgery. “With endoscopic microdiscectomy the endoscope allows the whole operation to be performed through an incision no bigger than a needle puncture. Because the endoscope is far more gentle and precise as a technique, there is much less tissue damage and scarring. This means that the incidence of subsequent pain (both in the muscle and wound) is greatly reduced” he said. “Furthermore, the procedure is usually performed using sedation and local anaesthetic rather than general anaesthetic. This means that the risks that are inherent when a general anaesthetic is required are avoided and most patients are able to go home the same day.”
