FULL-ENDOSCOPIC LUMBAR DISCECTOMY

ABSTRACT Objective: Retrospective study of the functional outcome of patients with lumbar disc herniation who underwent full-endoscopic discectomy. Methods: Fifteen consecutive patients, 10 men and 5 women, mean age of 34.2 years, were evaluated at 15, 30, 90 and 180 days after surgery through the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) questionnaire and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of axial and lower limbs pain. Results: There was a significant improvement in ODI evaluation of patients when comparing the preoperative results with the third and sixth postoperative month (p<0.05), as well as the VAS for preoperative axial pain with respect to 15, 30 and 90 days (p<0.05) after surgery, and VAS for preoperative pain in the lower limbs with respect to 15, 90 and 180 days postoperatively (p<0.05). Conclusion: The full-endoscopic discectomy is an effective procedure which should be considered as an alternative to conventional discectomy.