Return to the Original Work Activity Following the Full-endoscopic Lumbar Surgery under the Local Anesthesia

Abstract

Transforaminal full-endoscopic spine (TF-FES) surgery is minimally invasive and can be performed under local anesthesia. Thus, it is expected that the patient can return to work (RTW) quickly. However, information in the literature regarding this is sparse. The purpose of this study is to review the timing of RTW after TF-FES surgery. This study involved 50 patients (14 women, 36 men; mean age 44.5 years, age range: 20–65 years) who underwent TF-FES surgery between January 2016 and April 2018. All the patients were active workers. Occupations varied widely (e.g., physician, nurse, helper, clerk, construction worker, chef, and schoolteacher). There were no surgery-related complications. Median time to RTW was 21 days. More than half of the patients could RTW within 21 days. In all, 12 cases (24%) could have RTW within 7 days. Occupations of 12 patients who achieved RTW within 7 days included physician, company owner, and restaurant owner, with 11 in the Light work, 1 was in the Medium work, and none in the Heavy work. All 12 had a quick RTW because their work was Light and they could not take prolonged sick leave. Prompt RTW is possible with TF-FES surgery. The biggest merit of TF-FES surgery is minimal invasiveness to the muscles of the back. Also, it can be performed under local anesthesia. Our findings reveal quicker RTW after surgery, depending on occupational type.

Advantages of Full-endoscopic Trans-Kambin's Triangle Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: Illustrative Cases

“…Full-endoscopic discectomy, which was initially developed by Yeung and Tsou for lumbar disc herniation, 6) is a minimally invasive procedure that is now used to treat foraminal stenosis and lateral recess stenosis. 1,[7][8][9] Lumbar interbody fixation can now be performed by full-endoscopic discectomy using the procedure named KLIF by Sairyo et al 2) Various types of LIF have been reported, including ALIF, LLIF, TLIF, and PLIF. There has been a recent report de-scribing the use of LLIF to treat adult spinal deformity because of its indirect decompressive effect, less surgical invasiveness and blood loss, and strong corrective force.…”

“…Full-endoscopic discectomy, which was initially developed by Yeung and Tsou for lumbar disc herniation, 6 ) is a minimally invasive procedure that is now used to treat foraminal stenosis and lateral recess stenosis. 1 , 7 - 9 ) Lumbar interbody fixation can now be performed by full-endoscopic discectomy using the procedure named KLIF by Sairyo et al 2 )…”

Preoperative Planning Using Three-dimensional Printing for Full-endoscopic Spine Surgery: A Technical Note

“…Takeuchi et al reported that the average operating time in TF-FESS is about 73.2-75.7 min. 3) Taken together, the operating time could be reduced by using accurate preoperative planning with a 3D model.…”

“…One type of minimally invasive spinal surgery currently in use is transforaminal full-endoscopic spine surgery (TF-FESS), 1,2) which requires only an 8-mm skin incision and causes less damage to the paravertebral muscles. 3) TF-FESS can be performed under local anesthesia, which allows for spine surgery in elderly patients with poor general condition and can prevent severe nerve damage because the patients are awake. 4,5) In the first decade, TF-FESS was initially indicated for the removal of herniated nucleus pulposus.…”

Relationship between Preoperative Neuroradiological Findings and Intraoperative Bulbocavernosus Reflex Amplitude in Patients with Intradural Extramedullary Tumors

“…Recently, the safety of spinal surgery has improved with the advancement of surgical methods and equipment. [1][2][3] However, the procedure is associated with high risk of intraoperative injury, with a major complication rate of 3.3% within 30 days postoperatively. 4) In particular, lumbar surgery may cause bladder and rectal disorders due to sacral cord and cauda equina (CE) injuries and sensorimotor disturbance.…”