To investigate the feasibility and effects of endoscopic surgical treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation associated with vertebral osteochondrosis.

From June 2008 to December 2015, 276 cases of lumbar in-tervertebral disc herniation associated with vertebral osteochondrosis were treated with endoscopic surgery, including 185 men and 91 women, with an average 39.2 years old (range, 16-65 years old). The involved level included L_{2, 3} in 2 cases, L_{3, 4} in 9 cases, L_{4, 5} in 126 cases and L₅S₁ in 139 cases. On preoperative axial CT, the diameter of ossification was more than half of the transverse or sagittal diameter of the spinal canal in 89 cases, and no more than half of the transverse and sagittal diameter of the spinal canal in 187 cases. All patients were operated on the side with serious symptom, 181 cases were operated with mobile microendoscopic discectomy (MMED), and 95 cases were operated with percutaneous endoscopic surgery, including percutaneous transforaminal en-doscopic discectomy (PTED) in 61 cases and the percutaneous interlaminar endoscopic discectomy (PIED) in 34 cases. The opera-tion and complications were analyzed.

The soft herniation, broken disc material and the periphery of compressing ossifi-cation were removed under the endoscope in all cases, until the nerve was well decompressed. However, the ossification was not complete resected. Dural sac tear occurred in 3 cases of MMED. In the early stage of PTED, 2 cases converted to MMED because of intraoperative pain and difficulty, and one case had exiting nerve root injury. At the final follow-up of 12-60 months (average, 20.6 months), visual analogue scale decreased from preoperative 8.5±1.2 to 1.0±0.9, Oswestry disability index decreased from pre-operative 40.2±8.6 to 3.1±3.0. According to Macnab scale, the results were excellent in 89, good in 154 cases, moderate in 33 cas-es.

For most lumbar intervertebral disc herniation associated with vertebral osteochondrosis, good results can be achieve by removal of herniated and broken intervertebral disc and decompression of nerve with endoscope. Therefore, we speculate that the soft disc herniation and spinal stenosis are main pathogenic factors, and that the complete resection of ossification is not needed.

Lumbar vertebrae; Intervertebral disc displacement; Spinal osteochondrosis; Endoscopy; Surgical proce-dures, minimally invasive