title: [Minimal invasive neurosurgical treatment of intervertebral foraminal lesions].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effectiveness of minimal invasive neurosurgery in treatment of intervertebral foraminal lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-six patients with intervertebral foraminal lesions were divided into 2 groups: minimal invasive neurosurgery group (MG group, n=31) and traditional neurosurgery group (TG group, n=25). Their pre-operational clinical conditions, methods of surgery, duration and effectiveness of operation were analyzed retrospectively. Follow-up was conducted for 3-48 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-three of the 25 patients in the TG group (92%) had their lesions resected completely and 2 of the 31 patients (8%) underwent subtotal resection. In the MG group 28 of the 31 patients (90.32%) had their lesions resected completely, 2 (6.45%) underwent subtotal resection, and 1 patient (3.23%) showed epidural remains and did not receive further treatment. There was no significant difference in the effective rate between these 2 groups. The operation time of the TG group was (188 +/- 35) minutes, significantly longer than that of the MG group [(140 +/- 26) minutes, P < 0.01]. Follow-up showed that all patients resumed their normal life except the patient with epidural remains in the MG group, and no recurrent patient was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The minimal invasive neurosurgery is convenient, effective, and cheaper to treat intervertebral foraminal lesions. However, precise localization and intimate knowledge of the anatomy are important.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Cang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Rui-guang
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: De-jiang
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult