What does endoscopy mean? How is it going? How to make an appointment? Doctor Marjory Rué, neurosurgeon in Bordeaux, answers your questions.
The term “endoscopy” broadly covers a medical imaging technique that can be used to look at different organs and joints. But then, what is hidden under the term “endoscopic surgery”? How does it happen ? Let’s see together the answers to these questions that sometimes make us a little anxious.
What is endoscopic surgery?
Endoscopic surgery is a surgical procedure performed using an endoscope, a long and rigid instrument, fitted at its end with a camera and a light. This is connected to a computer screen, in order to see the operated area live. Thanks to this technique, it is possible to carry out minimally invasive surgeries, since it allows to make only very small incisions that are not traumatic for the muscles rather than large, dilapidating openings for the muscular structures.
As part of our activity, endoscopy is applied to the spine to perform operations for lumbar disc herniation, narrow lumbar canal and spinal synovial cyst.
How do I make an appointment for an endoscopy?
By sending your medical file to our clinic , we will be able to inform you about the need for an endoscopy and arrange an appointment.
How is spine endoscopy performed?
Before
Spine endoscopy is performed under anesthesia. You will therefore need to start with an appointment with an anesthesiologist. This will explain the procedure to you.
Then, your surgeon will give you all the details related to your operation, the surgical technique, the course of the hospitalization, the benefits and risks associated with the surgery and the post-operative instructions. They are often light and simple to implement.
You will return to the hospital the day before the operation at the end of the afternoon or in the morning to see the anesthesiologist, the nurses and the surgeon.
During
Once the general anesthesia has been performed, the doctor introduces the endoscope through the dedicated incision, which measures between 1.5 and 3 cm. The suture is made with absorbable stitches and glue is placed (more rarely a waterproof dressing). The instructions are simple: forget your scar. It is necessary to wash normally without putting any greasy substance on the glue. In about ten days, it comes off. If there is a bandage, it is left for ten days and then it just needs to be removed.
After
After the operation, you are placed in the recovery room for approximately 1 hour, before being taken back to your room. An endoscopy being a minimally invasive surgery, you can leave the hospital the next day, without eviction. Endoscopic spinal surgery does not require any nursing follow-up and you can immediately begin rehabilitation. After the endoscopy, you can have a teleconsultation if you have any questions.
Endoscopy, like any surgical procedure, can sometimes be scary, but it is ultimately a technique that involves little risk and offers you real comfort as well as the surgeon. It is a remarkable technological advance in the field of micro-invasive surgery that allows you to recover faster.
