Purpose of review: Percutaneous lumbar decompression is a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). The purpose of this article is to review the current literature on percutaneous lumbar decompression as well as review the safety and outcomes associated with the procedure.
Recent findings: LSS is a significant cause of chronic pain and a common indication for invasive spine surgery. The recent literature shows that percutaneous lumbar decompression is a minimally invasive treatment option that affords a high level of safety, improved function, decreased pain scores, and is cost-effective.
Summary: This minimally invasive procedure is an option for patients with central canal LSS who have continued pain-following conservative treatment such as physical therapy, oral medications, and lumbar spine injections. Percutaneous lumbar decompression is a procedure that bridges the gap between invasive surgery and more conservative treatment for LSS. This percutaneous technique provides increasing options to those patients with central canal lumbar stenosis who may not be candidates for an invasive decompression procedure. Overall, this procedure has been found to be well tolerated and effective in reducing pain while generally improving function.