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Endoscopic Spine Surgery (ESS): When Technology Meets Precision

As the world continues to evolve, many aspects of our behaviour and living habits have also evolved. One of the things that has irrevocably changed is our ever-growing reliance on mobile devices like tablets and laptops. When using these devices during work and in private moments, we often adopt poor postures which place a lot of stress on our neck and back. Also, there are now more and more people doing heavy lifting gym workouts or engaging in sports. These physical activities are great in terms of improving our overall physical well-being, but they can also lead to sporting injuries to our spine.

These changes, alongside others, have led to an increased incidence of serious spinal conditions which may require spinal surgery to relieve the disability of suffering patients. At the same time, our busy and demanding lifestyle also calls for quick recovery after spinal surgery so that we can quickly go back to work. Such demands, coupled with advancements in medical technology, have given rise to the development of endoscopic spine surgery.

ENDOSCOPIC SPINE SURGERY

The use of endoscopes in surgery is not new. We have been performing gastroscopy, colonoscopy, and shoulder and knee arthroscopy for the past few decades. In fact, endoscopy has replaced open surgery in many approaches of surgery. Endoscopic spine surgery (ESS) is simply the latest addition to surgeries which use endoscopes to achieve their objectives.

ESS is perhaps the least invasive approach for spinal decompression and fusion. It achieves the objective of open spinal surgery using mere 1cm skin cut(s). The procedure involves the use of an endoscope, which is 8-10mm in diameter, to perform four functions:

• Irrigation - The inflow of saline from an inflow port washes the tissues, and flushes out blood clots and debris which need to be removed.