ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2026
Full-endoscopic lateral recess decompression: How much space do we need?
Article 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, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Toward a Candidate Endoscopic Spine Surgery Registry Framework: Lessons From Global Spine Registry Models.Neurospine · 2026Article
- Indirect Decompression Using the Keyhole Transfacet Full-Endoscopic Lumbar Interbody Fusion: Technical Note and Preliminary Clinical Application.International journal of spine surgery · 2026Article
- Stable low-grade degenerative spondylolisthesis does not adversely affect clinical outcome of full-endoscopic decompression in patients with spinal stenosis.Brain & spine · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
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Abstract
purposeTo explore the relationship between intraoperative assessments made during full-endoscopic lateral recess decompression and the resulting clinical and radiographic outcomes.
methodsThis was a prospective cohort study. Intraoperative measurements of the distance between the nerve root and the medial part of the facet joint were used to categorise patients into two groups: those with a space > 3.5 mm and those with a space < 3.5 mm after decompression. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for back and leg pain at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were reviewed to assess the grading of lateral recess stenosis pre-operatively and post-operatively. Statistical analyses used t-tests and Chi-square tests.
resultsSixty-eight patients underwent interlaminar endoscopic decompression. The cohort was divided into two groups: 34 patients with a decompressed space > 3.5 mm and 34 patients with a space < 3.5 mm. Significant improvements were observed in all clinical outcomes for both groups, including VAS scores for back and leg pain and ODI scores postoperatively (P < 0.0001) with no significant differences at the 1, 3, 6, and 12-month follow-ups between the two groups. Radiographic assessments indicated a significant improvement in lateral recess stenosis in the > 3.5 mm group (P = 0.026).
conclusionThe intraoperative space between the nerve root and the medial part of the facet joint should exceed 3.5 mm during full-endoscopic decompression to ensure improved clinical outcomes and postoperative radiographic results.
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