Trial reportEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2017
A randomised controlled trial of transforaminal endoscopic discectomy vs microdiscectomy.
Trial report in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 74 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
74 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 156 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparison of different treatments for lumbar disc herniation: a network meta-analysis and systematic review.BMC surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy in patients with lumbar disc herniation: a meta-analysis.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2025Pooled it
- Comparative efficacy and safety of three surgical procedures for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation: a Bayesian-based network analysis.BMC surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Eight Surgical Interventions for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Network Meta-Analysis on Complications.Frontiers in surgery · 2021Pooled it
- Transforaminal endoscopic discectomy versus conventional microdiscectomy for lumbar discherniation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2018Pooled it
- Full endoscopic versus open discectomy for sciatica: randomised controlled non-inferiority trial.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Observational Cohort Study in Full Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy: Good Patient Outcomes Despite Learning Curve.International journal of spine surgery · 2026Article
- Endoscopic spine surgery.Bulletin of the Hospital for Joint Disease (2013) · 2026Review
- Endoscopic Spine Surgery: A Scoping Review of the Literature.Global spine journal · 2026Review
- Operative time, recurrence, and complications throughout the initial learning curve in transforaminal endoscopic lumbar discectomy.Acta neurochirurgica · 2026Article
- Case Report: Extraforaminal endoscopic lumbar discectomy in two dogs with far-lateral intervertebral disc extrusions.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy Serves as a Valuable Minimally Invasive Surgical Option for Adolescent Lumbar Disc Herniation: Mid-Term Outcomes from a Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- Beyond the Microscope: Is Endoscopic Discectomy the Next Gold Standard for Lumbar Disc Herniation?Neurospine · 2026Article
- Endoscopic discectomy for L4-L5 disc herniation: A meta-analysis comparing transforaminal and interlaminar approaches.Brain & spine · 2026Review
- BLEED-LESS: a scoping review on blood loss elimination in endoscopic decompression-lessons and literature on endoscopic spine surgery.Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · 2025Review
- Comparative effectiveness of minimally invasive endoscopic discectomy versus conventional surgical techniques for lumbar disc herniation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Article
- Clinical Efficacy of Extended Transforaminal Endoscopic Lumbar Foraminotomy Compared with the Conventional Technique.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Full-Endoscopic Spine Surgery : Its Roles and Limitations.Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society · 2025Article
14 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeTransforaminal endoscopic discectomy (TED) minimises paraspinal muscle damage. The aim of this trial was to compare clinical outcomes of TED to Microdiscectomy (Micro).
methods143 patients, age 25-70 years and <115 kg, with single level lumbar prolapse and radiculopathy, were recruited and randomised. 70 received TED under conscious sedation and 70 Micro under general anaesthesia. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), visual analogue scores (VAS) of back and leg pain, and Short Form Health Survey indices (SF-36) were measured preoperatively and at 3, 12 and 24 months.
resultsAll outcome measures improved significantly in both groups (p < 0.001). Affected side leg pain was lower in the TED group at 2 years (1.9 ± 2.6 vs 3.5 ± 3.1, p = 0.002). Hospital stay was shorter following TED (0.7 ± 0.7 vs 1.4 ± 1.3 days, p < 0.001). Two Micro patients and five TED patients required revision giving a relative risk of revision for TED of 2.62 (95% CI 0.49-14.0).
conclusionsFunctional improvements were maintained at 2 years in both groups with less ongoing sciatica after TED. A greater revision rate after TED was offset by a more rapid recovery.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.