Endoscopic spinal surgery (ESS) is minimally invasive surgery (MIS) performed with an endoscope, a thin tube with a camera and light at the end that allows your surgeon to visualise the targeted area of the spine.
Endoscopic spinal surgery is characterised by a small incision of only a few millimetres and the use of an endoscope for visualisation. The result is minimal disturbance of the surrounding tissues and structures of your spine, meaning less bleeding, faster recovery times and a quicker return to everyday life for patients.
Endoscopic spinal surgery is a highly specialised technique - it is more technically demanding than traditional open spine surgery. Your surgeon must undergo rigorous training before they are qualified to offer endoscopic spinal surgery.
At The Alexandra Hospital, we offer private endoscopic spinal surgery to people based in Manchester, Stockport, and Cheshire.
As part of Circle Health Group — the UK's largest network of private hospitals — our team at The Alexandra Hospital can help you access excellent standards of care with a dedicated team of orthopaedic specialists.
Mr Ankur Saxena, consultant neurosurgeon at The Alexandra Hospital in Manchester, is one of the UK's foremost endoscopic spinal surgeons and an accredited national trainer of the technique.
He explains, "Endoscopic surgery is in a bigger bracket of minimally invasive surgery. It is the least invasive because it causes minimal destruction of the muscle. You tackle the pathology in a similar way as you would do with open surgery, except that the approach causes the least collateral damage."