Is Endoscopic Spine Surgery Here to Stay, and if So, Why?

If you find yourself here, chances are you’ve heard of endoscopic spine surgery (ESS) before. Maybe a doctor even recommended it to you as an alternative to more invasive surgery. But what’s the big deal when it comes to this type of spine surgery, and is it really as revolutionary as its advocates make it seem?

You may be wondering just how effective it truly is, and whether it will continue to be a viable method of spine surgery for the foreseeable future.

You have questions; we have answers! Let’s explore everything you need to know about the hype surrounding endoscopic back surgery.

The History and Rise of Endoscopic Spine Surgery

To truly understand why endoscopic spine surgery (ESS) has become so widely talked about, you have to understand a little bit about what surgical approaches were common before ESS and how they compare.

Before ESS, open spine surgery was the norm. Open surgery eventually gave way to minimally invasive techniques that still required significant recovery times depending on your anatomy, along with recovery times, and had higher risks of complications compared to endoscopic spine surgery, but that were far superior to traditional (open) surgery.

Endoscopic spine surgery is the only ultra-minimally invasive surgery. It is associated with similar or superior surgical outcomes compared to both open spine surgery and minimally invasive surgery. Let’s explore why that is now.

The Current Endoscopic Spine Surgery Market

Clearly, ESS is a revolutionary procedure. But why?

From endoscopic spinal stenosis surgery to endoscopic spinal fusion, ESS is being used to treat a growing number of spine conditions with increasing evidence of efficacy as technology continues to progress.

ESS “can now be performed with high magnification, thus allowing its application not only to lumbar spinal stenosis but also to spinal fusion surgeries and cervical and thoracic pathology”.

Why bother asking a spine doctor if ESS may be a viable treatment option for your condition at all?

Simply put, ESS offers these benefits:

• Minimal Invasion: ESS involves smaller incisions and less disruption to muscles and tissues compared to open spine surgery.
• Reduced Complications: Less trauma, reduced blood loss, less risk of infection, and less postoperative pain, leading to quicker recovery and shorter hospital stays.
• Enhanced Visualization: Excellent visualization through an endoscope allows for precise navigation and minimal scarring.
• Preservation of Anatomy: Often avoids disrupting anatomy or removing bones, reducing the risk of future instability and potentially eliminating the need for further treatment.
• Loss of Infection Risk: There is a 16x decrease in infection risk and minimal blood loss.

Is Spinal Endoscopy the Future of Spine Surgery?

At the rate of medical research and innovation, no one knows for sure what breakthrough surgical techniques are just around the corner. But endoscopic back surgery remains one of the most effective surgical treatments for a variety of conditions, from spinal stenosis, to herniated discs, to spinal instability and degenerative disc disease and more and that is likely to remain true for years to come.

According to one source, we’re still discovering new use cases for ESS:

“With improvements in ESS instruments (optics, endoscope, endoscopic drill and shaver, irrigation pump, and multiportal endoscopic), limitations of ESS have gradually decreased, and it is possible to apply ESS to more spine pathologies. ESS currently incorporates new technologies, such as navigation, augmented and virtual reality, robotics, and 3-dimensional and ultraresolution visualization, to innovate and improve outcomes.”

If current trends continue, endoscopic spine surgery could be not just the preferred method of spine surgery in future years, but also the preferred method for a wider variety of conditions.

Is Endoscopic Spine Surgery Right for Me?

ESS is still surgery. We recommend asking yourself these 10 questions before any type of back surgery.

The truth is, there’s no hard and set rule when it comes to answering the question “Is ESS right for you?”.

The decision as to whether undergoing ESS is the right choice should be one you make jointly with an experienced spine specialist after receiving a full medical evaluation and discussing the benefits, risks and outcome possibilities given your unique situation and post-operative expectations.

Want to learn more? We invite you to reach out for your medical evaluation.

Meanwhile, free to check out our main page on endoscopic spine surgery to learn more about what goes into the procedure.