Current Issue - May 2007, Volume 1, Issue No. 1

Percutaneous endoscopic spinal surgery performed in the awake state offers a new paradigm for treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc prolapse. We report the outcome of 23 patients who underwent this procedure. Visual analogue scale for pain improved from 7.3 to 2.1; 19 of the 23 patients achieved good to excellent results according to the MacNab criteria. Patient acceptance of the procedure was 91.3%. All but one patient were discharged from hospital within 24 hours. One patient developed foot drop post-operatively. There was no incidence of dural tear, post-operative infection or worsening of symptoms. We conclude that this is a safe, effective, and well-tolerated procedure.

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