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Review
. 2024 Jun 21;10(2):295-304.
doi: 10.21037/jss-23-112. Epub 2024 May 10.

A narrative review of endoscopic spine surgery: history, indications, uses, and future directions

Christopher L Antonacci  1 , Francine R Zeng  1 , Brian Ford  1 , Ian Wellington  1 , Cameron Kia  2 , Hanbing Zhou  2
Affiliations
Review

A narrative review of endoscopic spine surgery: history, indications, uses, and future directions

Christopher L Antonacci et al. J Spine Surg. .

Abstract

Background and objective: The concept of endoscopic surgery began in the 1930s and has since undergone numerous advancements in both technology and surgical indications. Its main benefit is providing the opportunity to perform surgery while minimizing disruption to surrounding structures. The purpose of this review is to summarize the history, uses, and future directions for spine endoscopic surgery.

Methods: A review of national databases was performing using key terms "endoscopic", "spine" and "surgery" for literature from 1900 to 2023. Studies that aimed to describe the utilities of endoscopic surgeries, associated outcomes, limitations, and future directions were included. Studies that were not in English were excluded.

Key content and findings: This review includes a brief overview of the history of endoscopic surgery and its current two main approaches, transforaminal and interlaminar approaches. It then summarizes the main indications and utilization of endoscopic surgery in the lumbar, cervical and thoracic spine, as well as expansion in managing spine tumors, infections, and outpatient surgical cases.

Conclusions: There are many rising indications and uses for endoscopic spine surgery in nearly every aspect of the spine. Compared to conventional spine surgery, there is early evidence showing endoscopic surgery is associated with less post-operative pain, shorter hospital stays, and possibly quicker recovery times. As current trends in spine surgery move towards minimally invasive techniques, it is anticipated that the use of endoscopic surgery will continue to expand.

Keywords: Endoscopic; history; spine; surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://jss.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/jss-23-112/coif). The series “Minimally Invasive Techniques in Spine Surgery and Trend Toward Ambulatory Surgery” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. C.K. served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the series. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

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