Neil Malhotra, MD, of Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine performed Pennsylvania's first endoscopic decompression surgery, according to CBS Philly.
Here are three key points:
1. Instead of performing surgery on the back of the spine to repair herniated discs, Dr. Malhotra accessed the disc through the side of the spine.
2. Dr. Malhotra entered at the foramin, eliminating the need to shave the bone and reducing recovering time.
3. While this endoscopic decompression procedure is only used for patients who have disc problems that cause sciatica, Dr. Malhotra hopes with new equipment developments more minimally invasive back procedures will be available to patients.