Surgical Video: Percutaneous Fusion and Endoscopic Resection of a Thoracic Metastatic Tumor.

Abstract

While endoscopic approaches to the spine have become increasingly utilized for spinal degenerative disease, there is a paucity of literature regarding the role of endoscopic approaches in spinal oncology.¹ The endoscopic approach offers patients lower risk of wound infection, wound dehiscence, and postoperative hematoma when compared with an open approach.¹ In many spinal oncology patients, an endoscopic approach allows for prompt postoperative radiation when compared with an open approach.² Both the lower complication profile and decreased time to postoperative radiation highlight the importance of considering an endoscopic approach to metastatic spinal tumors. We present a case of a patient with a metastatic carcinoma to the thoracic spine resected via an endoscopic approach. The patient's tumor was first treated with endovascular embolization, followed by endoscopic hemilaminectomy, foraminotomy, and tumor resection. Written informed consented was obtained from the patient for both procedures and for this research paper. Per institutional guidelines, the current case Video 1 did not classify as human subject research or require institutional review board review. In the Video 1, particular focus is placed on the surgical techniques involved in the endoscopic approach for resection a spinal metastatic tumor. With the increasing utilization of endoscopic approaches to the spine, the described technique for resection of spinal metastatic lesions will become increasingly relevant to spinal oncology surgeons.