title: Endoscopic resection of cystic lesions in the lumbar spinal canal: a report of two cases.
abstract: We report excellent outcomes in two patients with cystic lesions in the lumbar spinal canal who underwent resection using the METRx micro-endoscopic discectomy (MED) system. Pathological examinations revealed the diagnoses of a synovial cyst and a discal cyst, respectively. Both of them were allowed to walk the next day after surgery with complete pain relief. Micro-endoscopic surgery provides excellent visualization of the spinal canal and allows minimally invasive removal of the pathological lesions. This technique can be an effective alternative to conventional open surgery for cystic lesions in the lumbar spine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. ishii-km@sc.itc.keio.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Toyama
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003560:Cysts / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017586:Diskectomy / Q000379:methods*; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*