Cohort Study Modified Percutaneous Lumbar Foraminoplasty and Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy : Instrument Design , Technique Notes , and 5 Years Follow-up

outside” technique has 4.3% – 10.3% surgical failure rate, especially in central herniated discs (HDs), migrated HDs, and axillary type HDs. PELD with foraminoplasty has been used for complex HDs. Percutaneous lumbar foraminoplasty (PLF), which is performed with a trephine or bone reamer introduced over a guidewire without a protective working cannula in the original Tessys technique, can quickly cut the hypertrophied bony structure under fluoroscopic guidance, and risk injury to the exiting and traversing nerve roots.