Technical report: endoscopic approaches to the thoracic spine – transforaminal and interlaminar

Endoscopic spine surgery has gained prominence as a minimally invasive alternative to traditional open procedures [1,2,4], particularly in managing thoracic spine pathology. The choice of approach—transforaminal or interlaminar—depends on the pathology, anatomical constraints, and surgical goals [3]. This report outlines a case of endoscopic interlaminar and transforaminal access for thoracic decompression.

A 68-year-old retired female presented with a 12-month history of progressive myelopathy due to severe T10/11 spinal stenosis and ligamentum flavum hypertrophy. MRI revealed significant cord compression and cord signal change on T2WI.