PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Won, Young Il
AU  - Yuh, Woon Tak
AU  - Kwon, Shin Won
AU  - Kim, Chi Heon
AU  - Yang, Seung Heon
AU  - Kim, Kyoung-Tae
AU  - Chung, Chun Kee
TI  - Interlaminar Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy: A Narrative Review
AID  - 10.14444/8163
DP  - 2021 Dec 01
TA  - International Journal of Spine Surgery
PG  - S47--S53
VI  - 15
IP  - suppl 3
4099  - https://www.ijssurgery.com/content/15/suppl_3/S47.short
4100  - https://www.ijssurgery.com/content/15/suppl_3/S47.full
SO  - Int J Spine Surg2021 Dec 01; 15
AB  - Background When pain caused by lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is not relieved after 4 to 6 weeks of conservative treatment, surgery is recommended. Open microdiscectomy is a standard surgical technique, but surgical endoscopy enables endoscopic lumbar surgery with clinical outcomes similar to those of standard microdiscectomy. Endoscopic lumbar discectomy is largely divided into transforaminal endoscopic lumbar discectomy (TELD) and interlaminar endoscopic lumbar discectomy (IELD). TELD was introduced about 10 years earlier than IELD and seems to be more popular than IELD.Objective The present article reviews the surgical technique, indications, and outcomes of IELD. Although much is still unknown, potential future perspectives are reviewed.Summary Although improved surgical techniques enable TELD to be versatile, IELD is still specifically beneficial for patients with highly migrated LDH and a high iliac crest. There is a large body of literature indicating favorable outcomes with both TELD and IELD. Currently, the selection of TELD or IELD is at the discretion of the surgeon, but the IELD surgical technique is useful for further applying endoscopic lumbar surgery for lumbar decompression or lumbar interbody fusion. The techniques can be assisted by advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, surgical robots, and artificial reality, and a precise and systematic approach to decision-making and surgical techniques is required to combine these technologies effectively.