Transforaminal endoscopic decompression and uninstrumented allograft lumbar interbody fusion: A feasibility study in patients with end-stage vacuum degenerative disc disease.

Objective: The authors investigated the feasibility of a transforaminal endoscopic decompression and un-instrumented lumbar interbody fusion procedures with cancellous bone allograft in patients painful with end-stage degenerative vacuum disc disease.

Patients & Methods: Twenty-nine patients who underwent endoscopic transforaminal foraminal and lateral recess decompression and direct intraoperative endoscopic visualization of a painful, hollow collapsed, rigid intervertebral disc space were grafted with cancellous allograft chips. In addition to the radiographic assessment of fusion, patients were followed for a minimum of 2 years postoperatively, and clinical outcomes were evaluated with VAS, ODI, and modified MacNab criteria.