Endoscopic foraminotomy for recurrent lumbar radiculopathy after TLIF: Technical report

BACKGROUND: Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) is a well-accepted fusion technique that uses unilateral facet removal as an oblique corridor for inserting an interbody spacer. This manuscript focused on five cases of endoscopic foraminotomy for patients presenting with recurrent radiculopathy after TLIF procedures. METHODS: After Institutional Review Board approval, charts from five patients with lumbar radiculopathy and instrumented TLIF procedures who underwent subsequent endoscopic procedures between 2011 and 2013 were reviewed. RESULTS: The average pain relief 1 year postoperatively was reported to be 63.8%, good results as defined by MacNab. The average preoperative visual analog scale (VAS) score was 9.5, indicated in our questionnaire as severe and constant pain. The average 1 year postoperative VAS score was 3.5, indicated in our questionnaire as mild and intermittent pain. CONCLUSION: Transforaminal endoscopic discectomy and foraminotomy could be used as a safe, yet, minimally invasive and innovative technique for the treatment of lumbar radiculopathy in the setting of previous instrumented lumbar fusion. IRB APPROVAL: Lifespan: IRB Study # 600415