Over the years, we have seen great advancement in spine surgery procedures including technology and equipment. Endoscopic Spine Surgery (ESS) is at present the one illustration of how far we’ve come in the surgical treatment of our patients with back and neck pain.

Today doctor utilize an endoscope during the surgical procedures to address the root cause of the pain in back, neck or leg. This is all possible only with the help of innovative surgical solution like Endoscopic surgery. The spine specialist can use numerous micro-instruments to selectively decompress or remove the pain from root cause.

When a patient needs relief from a herniated, bulging disc or disc tear that’s compressing and irritating the spinal nerves, endoscopic spine procedures are the least-invasive surgical option available for spinal treatment. Patients instead of turning to traditional or even minimally-invasive spinal surgery methods, such as a laminectomy, microdiscectomy, or spinal fusion, should explore the least-invasive option. One such option is Endoscopic spine surgery that can help relieve pain in the back and legs, addressing painful conditions without the many potential complications and with faster recovery time in patients.

What Is Endoscopic Spine Surgery?

By definition, Endoscopic Spine Surgical procedure (ESS) is a cutting-edge surgical procedure that utilizes an HD camera embedded to an endoscope inserted through a ¼ inch skin incision to the target pain generator in your spine. There are specialised instruments with which spine surgeon operate these surgeries safely, with more accuracy and offer better outcomes to patients.

What Types of Conditions Do Endoscopic Spine Surgery Treat?

  • Lower Back Pain
  • Herniated Disc
  • Arthritis and Bone Spurs of the Spine
  • Bulging Disc
  • Radiculopathy
  • Sciatica
  • Spinal Stenosis

Benefits of Endoscopic Spine Surgery:

The surgery is performed in a different way offering patients many potential benefits, some benefits of endoscopic spine surgery for patients includes:

  • Tubular retractors reduce the need to cut through soft tissues (e.g., skin tissue-to-muscle injury or damage)
  • Less blood loss
  • Less post-operative discomfort or pain
  • Fast recovery and healing
  • Lower risk of infection

The Advantages of Endoscopic Spine Surgery vs. Traditional & Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery:

There are many benefits to thinking about endoscopic spine surgery. Minimally invasive spine surgery is a decent choice for some patients to think about in the wake of debilitating all endoscopic spine surgery choices. The objective of endoscopic spine surgery is to relieve pain. Some benefits of ESS includes:-

  • Uses an HD camera coupled to an endoscope which provides the spine surgeon a superior view to that of traditional surgical techniques
  • Less than a 1/2-inch incision minimizes potential skin scarring
  • No tissue and muscle tearing thus less scar tissue
  • Conscious sedation reduces the risk associated with general anaesthesia
  • Less post-operative pain and need for narcotic medicines
  • Less recovery time needed
  • Return to work sooner – as early as one week (under some restriction for lifting and certain physical activities)

However, ESS may not be appropriate for all spine surgery indications. In those types of cases, the spine surgeon may recommend a traditional open or minimally invasive spine procedure. These surgical procedures require a combination of skills and training that take time to acquire. Dr. Vishal Bhasme is the spine specialist in Pune that performs endoscopic spine surgery.