Endoscopic decompression of the spinal canal in symptomatic thoracic disc disease. A case report

Abstract

The risk of disc herniation in the thoracic spine is much less common than in cervical and lumbar segments. It occurs in about 0.25 to 0.75% of reported cases [1]. Osteoarthritis of the intervertebral disc is most common between 30 and 50 years of age. Unlike in the case of disc herniation of the cervical spine, classic anterior access to the spinal canal is not possible due to the vascular structures of the thorax. A modified posterior approach similar to procedures applied in the area of the lumbar spine, is used to decompress discopathy i.e., a hernia located laterally. An important problem, however, is hernias that compress the spinal cord anteriorly. We present a case report of endoscopic decompression of the thoracic spine in the course of central disc herniation from the posterior approach using the unilateral bi-portal technique (UBE).

Keywords

• thoracic spinal canal decompression
• endoscopic spinal canal decompression
• degenerative disc disease
• disc herniation
• UBE technique