How does endoscopic spinal surgery compare with fusions, conventional laminectomies, and artificial disc?
Believe it or not, results of all spinal surgery are similar in success rates. Depending on the type of problem being treated, the success rates vary in larger series from 55% to 75%, while the artificial disc is around the 65% to 70% success rate (per a recent study, although studies by the manufacturer report success rates in the 80% range). Our surgeries have been evaluated two years out, with several papers having been written, and run about 70% good-to-excellent results of two years. The results are significantly better figures for the cervical spine surgery. So the success rates are very similar, but the recovery time, incision size, and postoperative pain are greater in surgeries that require larger incisions and/or hardware placement. Another thing that I remind people of is the fact that in the event the endoscopic spinal surgery does not work to your expectations, a fusion can be performed, but one cannot perform a fusion first and then easily go on to do an endoscopic spinal
