Extraforaminal Stenosis at L2–L3 Treated with Microendoscopic Surgery: Report of Two Cases

INTRODUCTION: The many cases of far-out syndrome that have been reported have involved extraforaminal stenosis at L5–S1. We report two cases of extremely rare extraforaminal stenosis at L2–L3. CASE REPORT 1: A 59-year-old man presented with a 1/2-year history of the right leg pain. Radiological examination revealed stenosis of the right L2 spinal nerve between the osteophyte of the vertebral body and the L3 right transverse process. The right L2 spinal nerve was decompressed with microendoscopic surgery. Postoperatively, the pain in the right lower extremity was relieved. CASE REPORT 2: An 80-year-old man presented with a ½-year history of the right leg pain. He had undergone posterior lumbar fusion (L4–L5 and L5–S1) approximately 30 years earlier. Radiological examination revealed stenosis of the right L2 spinal nerve between the osteophyte of the vertebral body and the L3 right transverse process. The right L2 spinal nerve was decompressed with microendoscopic surgery. Postoperatively, the patient had no symptoms and his course over the next 6 months was good. CONCLUSIONS: In both cases, we performed microendoscopic decompression of the L2 spinal nerve with good post-operative results. In both our patients, extraforaminal stenosis was caused by osteophytes that formed as a result of degenerative spondylosis.