Background: We describe the minimally invasive, facet-sparing postero-lateral approach to the thoracic spine for a ventral dural repair in a patient with intracranial hypotension secondary to a spontaneous dural breach.
Methods: We performed a minimally invasive approach using a short paramedian posterior skin incision followed by a 10 × 10 mm targeted trans-laminar approach, to achieve a microsurgical repair of a symptomatic ventral dural defect causing severe disability.
Conclusion: The facet-sparing postero-lateral approach is safe and effective in the surgical management of thoracic dural tears, even in the most anterior ones, and avoids the traditional costotransversectomy.
Keywords: Microsurgery; Minimally invasive surgery; Spontaneous idiopathic hypotension; Subdural hematoma.
© 2021. The Author(s).