Percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy for thoracolumbar disc herniation: A retrospective study

Purpose: Thoracolumbar disc herniation, a rare disorder, has unique characteristics that can result in undesirable surgical outcomes after traditional discectomy. In view of the widespread use of percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy for lower lumbar disc herniation, we investigated treatment of thoracolumbar disc herniation by this procedure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and surgical outcomes of percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy for treating thoracolumbar disc herniation. Methods: : We retrospectively evaluated the clinical data of 19 patients who had undergone percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy for thoracolumbar disc herniation in our institution between April 2018 and July 2021. Operation time, follow-up time, blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, visual analogue scale scores for low-leg and leg pain, and Japanese Orthopedic Association scores were evaluated. Results: : The differences between preoperative and postoperative Japanese Orthopedic Association and visual analogue scale scores were significant (P<0.05). According to the Japanese Orthopedic Association scores, 14 of the 19 patients had excellent, three good, and two fair improvement; thus, the rate of satisfactory improvement was 89.5%. Conclusion: Operation time, blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, and surgical outcomes were favorable. Percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy is an ideal surgical procedure for treating thoracolumbar disc herniation.