Minimally Invasive Surgery of Lumbar Disc Herniation

Lumbar discectomy is a very common surgical procedure at almost any neurosurgical unit. Besides microdiscectomy, which is considered to be the “gold standard,” different minimally invasive procedures have been introduced in the past two decades.

Advantages of the minimally invasive spinal surgery include reduced muscle retraction and damage, reduced risk of infection, less blood loss, faster recovery due to less pain in the early postoperative period, less scaring, and better cosmetic result.

Reduced hospital length of stay and fewer complications of minimally invasive surgery make this procedures cost effective from an economic standpoint. After operation, patients are able to return to work sooner than after open procedures.

At our department, we use several minimally invasive procedures for treating lumbar disc herniations: percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD), tubular retractor microdiscectomy, and selective endoscopic discectomy (SED).

Our experiences confirm the results of several prospective studies which showed that minimally invasive lumbar disc surgery is a safe alternative to open surgery.

Keywords minimally invasive microdiscectomy; lumbar disc herniation