Foraminoplasty

Transforaminal endoscopic lumbar spine surgery has evolved leaps and bounds in the last 10 years, and as such, it is now not limited to simple contained herniation. It can now be successfully done for central, extraforaminal, extruded, and migrated herniations, which were considered bad indications when the procedure was limited to central intradiscal nucleotomy or debulking. With better understanding of the foraminal anatomy, more bold approaches to intervertebral foramen are now being undertaken. Moreover, with further development in instruments, such as motorized burrs and lasers, we can now successfully treat the foraminal and lateral canal stenosis. With the advantages of Transforaminal endoscopic techniques, such as use of local anesthesia, minimal skin incision, no need for neuromuscular retraction, and no excessive bone removal, with minimal approach-related morbidity, allows it to be applied safely in extremes of age, with early return to normal life. The procedure of foraminoplasty is vital to achieve these extended targets in Transforaminal endoscopic surgeries. The term foraminoplasty is used among the spine endoscopists to broadly describe the expansion of the foraminal boundaries and it is reversibly used to describe foraminotomy. However, foraminotomy is performed for widening the foramen to reach far off and difficult targets, whereas foraminoplasty is performed for decompression of neural structures in the treatment of foraminal and lateral stenosis. In this article, we discuss both the procedures. To understand the principles and successfully employ the technique, let us first understand the foraminal anatomy.