is a method of spinal surgery that announced the beginning of the period of minimally invasive spinal neurosurgery in the nineties of the past century. 

An American neurosurgeon Parviz Kambin was the first who in 1991. published the results of the treatment he called arthroscopic microdiscectomy.

Since then, with the advance of technology and acquiring new knowledge about disc ailments, endoscopic spinal neurosurgery has been rapidly evolving worldwide.

The concept of this type of operative procedure has derived from relatively unfavorable results of present conventional spinal surgery and the fact that patients who have undergone traditional surgeries have difficulty with prolonged return to work and to their normal activities.

The main principle of this method is minimally invasive approach that enables:

- painless surgeries performed under local anesthesia
- surgeries performed on all types of disc hernia
- outpatient surgery
- rapid recovery and timely start of physical therapy
- prompt return to normal activities.

Endoscope enables the surgeon to use the so-called keyhole approach for disc hernia. Muscles and tissue are moved apart and dilated instead of being cut into.

This surgical technique causes less tissue destruction, less postoperative pain, shortens the time of recuperation and rehabilitation and there are no risks associated with general anesthesia.

Excellent visualization provided by advanced endoscope enables the neurosurgeon to selectively remove disc herniation which is the cause of patients’ back and leg pain.

Pain sensors altered by inflammation and inflamed granulation tissue located in the disc membrane are neuromodulated to achieve reduction of postoperative pain.

During this surgical procedure the neurosurgeon can also perform a thermal radiofrequency annuloplasty and minimize the chance of disc hernia reoccurrence in the area that was operated on.

In our clinic this innovative surgical approach is applied by renowned Croatian spinal neurosurgeons who have completed their training for these types of procedures in the world’s most prestigious  medical centers in which endoscopic spine neurosurgery was developed.

Endoscopic discectomy is a surgical procedure which is performed in so called locally induced anesthesia, without losing consciousness and therefore enabling a constant interaction and communication between the neurosurgeon and the patient with a purpose of maximizing the success of the surgery.

After the patient gets prepared, the entry point of the endoscope is determined diascopically, local anesthesia is administered to the patient and the endoscope is inserted thru a 0,5 cm long incision.
The surgery itself takes between half an hour up to an hour and a half depending on a specific case of each individual patient.

After the procedure, the patient rests under constant care of the medical staff and is ready to be discharged within two or three hours.

It is imperative to highlight that the endoscopic method of treating spinal ailments removes the cause of pain - the pressure to neural structures while protecting the remaining healthy part of the disc.

This approach in treating the spine minimizes all negative aspects of conventional treatment like permanent painful sensations, neurological deficits and changes in the scarred tissue.