| diskectomy | Excision, in part or whole, of an intervertebral disk. The most common indication is disk displacement or herniation. In addition to standard surgical removal, it can be performed by percutaneous diskectomy (diskectomy, percutaneous) or by laparoscopic diskectomy, the former being the more common. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| diskectomy, percutaneous | Percutaneous excision of a herniated or displaced intervertebral disk by posterolateral approach, always remaining outside the spinal canal. Percutaneous nucleotomy was first described by hijikata in japan in 1975. In 1985 onik introduced automated percutaneous nucleotomy which consists in percutaneous aspiration of the nucleus pulposus. It is carried out under local anaesthesia, thus reducing the surgical insult and requiring brief hospitalization, often performed on an outpatient basis. It appears to be a well-tolerated alternative to surgical diskectomy and chymopapain nucleolysis. (12 Dec 1998) |