title: Minimally invasive lumbar decompression: a treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Percutaneous lumbar decompression is a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). The purpose of this article is to review the current literature on percutaneous lumbar decompression as well as review the safety and outcomes associated with the procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LSS is a significant cause of chronic pain and a common indication for invasive spine surgery. The recent literature shows that percutaneous lumbar decompression is a minimally invasive treatment option that affords a high level of safety, improved function, decreased pain scores, and is cost-effective.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This minimally invasive procedure is an option for patients with central canal LSS who have continued pain-following conservative treatment such as physical therapy, oral medications, and lumbar spine injections. Percutaneous lumbar decompression is a procedure that bridges the gap between invasive surgery and more conservative treatment for LSS. This percutaneous technique provides increasing options to those patients with central canal lumbar stenosis who may not be candidates for an invasive decompression procedure. Overall, this procedure has been found to be well tolerated and effective in reducing pain while generally improving function.
authors: Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors: Melinda M
authors: MM
authors: Lawrence
authors: Salim M
authors: SM
authors: Hayek
mesh_terms: D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000601:surgery*; D064232:Visual Analog Scale