Abstract

Full endoscopic lumbar discectomy has become popular in the recent years and has similar success rates with the conventional microdiscectomy procedures. The decrease of surgical morbidity, the inexistance of the postoperative epidural scar tissue, the minimal tissue damage are the most adventageous features of FELD operations. Among the FELD procedures, the posterolateral/lateral transforaminal approach is the most widely accepted technique. On the other hand, the posterior interlaminar approach is being used as another method. Due to the application of these two techniques, the endoscopic procedures become to have a wide area of usage in the lumbar dics herniations. The most important disadvantage of the both techniques is their steep learning curve. The initiation of the application of these interventions and the making endoscopic surgery as a routine procedure is a challenging process particularly in a clinic in which the endoscopic surgery is not traditionally used. Although the transforaminal and interlaminar interventions are being performed with the similar equipments basically, they have different technical properties. But the common feature of the two methods is the completely different surgical tool usage in general. In this article, the challenges experienced during the initiation of these techniques and the stages of the application in a clinic in which the endoscopic surgery is not generally used have been assessed. Additionally the first six months results after surgery have been evaluated.