Ahmed Tashfeen Ashraf.
Micro-endoscopic Disectomy: Early Experience and Results.
Pak J Neuro Surg Jan ;16(2):102-6.

Objective: This prospective study was conducted to assess results and experience with microscopic endoscopic disectomy (MED).Study Design: This is a prospective study carried out at PNS Shifa, which is a tertiary care hospital, from July 2011 to June 2012.Methods: Thirty eight patients underwent surgery in which the MED system was used; all procedures were performed under general anesthesia. All patients were followed prospectively. MED system used in this study consisted of tubular retractors and an endoscope with xenon light source and HD image system by Karl Storz co. Germany. Outcomes were measured using Macnab criteria.Results: Thirty eight patients (27 males, 11females) underwent MED for prolapsed lumbar intervertebral disc. Mean operating time was 80 minutes. Follow up ranged from 3 to 12 months with a mean follow up 7.8 months. Thirty two patients had an excellent outcome while three had a good outcome. Three patients had a poor outcome. One patient with a big dural tear required conversion to a standard microdiscectomy and was excluded from outcome assessment. Three complications were noted and were all related to dural tears.Conclusions: Minimally invasive surgery using MED is clinically effective and reliable. Patient satisfaction is high and complications rates are comparable with those associated with traditional microdiscectomy procedures.Abbreviations: MED: Microendoscopic discectomy, HD: High Definition.

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