Open Endoscopic Rhizotomy
The etiology of axial low back pain is multifactorial and includes pain arising from lumbar facet joints. The facet joints, capsules, and surrounding tissues are innervated by the medial branches of the dorsal rami. Rhizotomy of these nerves can provide pain relief in patients with lumbar facetogenic pain. The reported benefits of endoscopic approaches to the spine include minimal disruption of nonpathologic anatomy while simultaneously allowing for improved visualization of pathologic anatomy. Endoscopic techniques have been described for spinal stenosis, disc herniation, interbody fusion, infection, as well as dorsal medial branch rhizotomy. The goal of medial branch rhizotomy is to denervate lumbar facet joints that are contributing to axial back pain. The previous chapter focused on percutaneous techniques, while this chapter will describe endoscopic rhizotomy.