Tightness of the spinal canal or adhesion, disc hernia and nerve compression and the resultant chronic pain can be treated by epiduroscopy.
Spinal canal is visualised by a fibre optic camera that has a mobile probe with epiduroscopy.
Using Epiduroscopy For Treatment of Pain
There are two basic applications:
- Chronic lumbar and leg pain can be cured by relieving epidural adhesions. These adhesions can occur in lower lumbar nerve roots or around the implants following decompressive operations performed in disc diseases.
- Enables epidural injections. Adhesions may prevent epidural drug delivery to the inflamed nerve roots while injecting steroids and local anaesthetic mixtures around the oedematous nerve roots in cases of unsuccessful nerve root blockage.
How Epiduroscopy is Performed?
Epiduroscopy is a minimally invasive technique and performed in the operation room under local anaesthesia or sedation. Patient lays face downwards, with the help of radiological inspection, a thin incision is made on the sacrum and the catheter is entered through this incision. Adhesion locations are detected by the camera. Injections of local anaesthetic and saline relieves the adhesions, then hyaluronidase is injected to prevent recurrence of adhesion. The patient can be discharged after a few hours as there is no general anaesthesia and can continue routine daily activities.
Who Can Benefit From Epiduroscopy
When drug and physical therapies do not provide successful outcomes;
- Patients who have adhesions following surgeries,
- Patients who have lumbar pain and/or disc hernia,
- Following spine surgeries where implants are used.