Potential use of spinal canal endoscopy for successful treatment of cauda equina tumour and epidural abscess

AbstractSpinal canal endoscopy is recognised as a new technique for treatment of chronic low back and leg pain due to lumbar epidural adhesions involving nerve roots. In this paper, the cases of two patients who received orthopaedic surgery combined with spinal canal endoscopy are discussed. In case 1, the patient had a cauda equina tumour and underwent extirpation of the tumour assisted by spinal canal endoscopy. In case 2, the patient was suffering from extensive epidural abscess. He was treated with antibiotics and underwent single-level laminectomy and drainage assisted by spinal canal endoscopy. In case 1, small tumours that could not be identified by magnetic resonance imaging were identified with spinal canal endoscopy: the tumours were then partially removed from the T12 vertebral level to the S1 vertebral level by right hemilaminectomy of S1, and laminectomy of L5 and T12. In case 2, the use of spinal canal endoscopy enabled drainage and lavage of the wide lesion of the abscess by the single–leve...