Degenerative constrictions of the spinal canal with compression of neural elements arise as a result of bony, disk, capsular or ligament structures. The most frequent causes are disk herniations and spinal stenoses. The lumbar and cervical spine is the most prominent cause. After conservative treatments have been exhausted, surgical intervention may be necessary. Today, microsurgical or microscopically-assisted decompression is regarded as the standard procedure for disk herniation and spinal stenosis in the lumbar region, while in the cervical spine, microsurgical or microscopically-assisted anterior decompression and fusion are standard. Both procedures demonstrate good clinical results but present problems associated with the operation. Decompressions in the area of the spine must be carried out under continuous visualization and must entail the possibility of adequate bone resection. Taking this into account, completely new endoscopes and instrument sets has been developed for full-endoscopic operations

来源：中国骨与关节杂志 2014 年 8期