Endoscopic foraminoplasty enlarges the foramen, the bony opening where a nerve root exits the spine, to relieve pressure on that nerve. Working through a small incision with an endoscope, the physician removes the bone spur, thickened ligament or disc material narrowing the opening, without the muscle stripping or fusion an open approach requires. It treats foraminal stenosis, bone spurs, a bulging disc, spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease and radicular pain, including sciatica. The symptoms that point toward it are pain, numbness or weakness travelling down one arm or leg rather than pain confined to the back. Spine Institute of North America (Spine INA) in East Brunswick, New Jersey performs it as an outpatient procedure.
What Conditions Does Endoscopic Foraminoplasty Treat?
The endoscopic foraminoplasty is one of the least invasive spine surgeries. It is used to relieve pressure on the exiting nerve or spinal cord, caused by:
- Spinal and foraminal stenosis
- Arthritis of the facet or vertebral bodies
- Bulging disc
- Bone spurs
- Failed back surgery syndrome
- Radicular pain
- Degenerative disc disease
- Spondylolisthesis
- Sciatica pain
The last three conditions on this list are caused by a narrowing of the spine or foramen. Using an endoscopic approach, this technique uses microscopic surgical tools through an endoscope to selectively remove some of the bone. This helps enlarge the foramen and relieve pressure on the nerves.