Foreword by Translation Editors
If the patient satisfaction of surgical treatment, which remains indispensable among modern medical treatment options, is less than expected, it may not be realistic to question the reasons. In this case, even if an equal distribution is made in the Patient-Surgeon-Treatment triangle, the morbidity of the treatment is always found to be higher than the recessive methods.
What should be the ideal treatment in spine surgery? Instead of waiting for the answer to the question to be solved within the same triangle, it would not be misleading to take Hippocrates’ motto “do no harm first” as a guide. Reducing the morbidity of the surgery can be possible by preserving the anatomical integrity as much as possible while reaching the goal and performing the repair duly during the closure. The habit of reaching the target with laminotomy and flavumectomy in disc surgery has been ongoing since 1913. This means that irreversible anatomical deformation during surgery cannot be corrected during closure. Although it is possible to reduce the radicular pain symptoms of the patient, chronic low back pain may inevitably create new problems.
Although Pool of 1937 tried to perform surgery with an illuminated tube, it did not contribute to reducing the morbidity of the method. In 1920, Eugen Bircher published the first diagnostic applications of arthroscopy in joint surgery. Although Bricher attempted a thoracoparoscopic treatment, this form of treatment was neglected until the early 1970s. The habit continued with Mallis in disc surgery. In 1955, Mallis used a microscope to reduce damage to anatomical structures and greatly reduce postoperative fibrosis. However, changing the path or method to achieve the goal is the most rational solution.
Concurrent with the resumption of arthroscopy in early 1980, Hijikata, Asher and Kambin described the transforaminal safe triangle in the intradiscal treatment pathway for disc surgery. Kambin safe triangle has been published and the concept of “spinal arthroscopy” has been defined. When the first applications were made, and among the confusion of concept and definition, the 1990s was just beginning when special instruments were designed for endoscopic disc surgery. Yeung, Leu and Knight systems had taken their place in the markets by the Wolf, Storz and Endospine companies, respectively. Concurrently, the American minimally invasive spine academy started regular magazine publications, which laid the foundation for the book we are holding.
The book was first published in 2000. It was a review of leading publications published in the Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Journal. However, its most important feature was that it had a multidisciplinary structure. It resembled a consensus text that included all the elements on which minimally invasive surgery was based. Endoscopic surgery was spreading rapidly. While Kambin students were creating the academy, they started reporting successful treatments in Europe and Korea. When the preparation of the new edition of the book became inevitable, a resource book in the form of a textbook was obtained in 2005, without the pioneers taking the background.
Martin Savitz was no longer there, but John Chiu was holding the Miss flag, Benjamin Alli was keeping the academy afloat. In our country, there were no specialized sources other than the special issue we published in the Imlas Congress and Joint Disease Surgery magazine, which was held for the first time in 2005. When we held the Ismiss congress in 2008, the congress book was published in English like before. We raised this issue with American Academy members and John Chiu, whom we received support before the second Ismiss congress.
brought the source and got the permission of the Turkish translation of the source. Although the work that started in December was a short time, it was concluded quickly and the book was brought to our language.
Our country has never lagged behind the world in medical treatments. While minimally invasive surgery is considered as the surgery of the future, when it is indispensable tomorrow, we have no doubt that the best practices will be applied in our country. In this context, we consider the creation of this book a sacred duty.
Therefore, we owe a debt of gratitude to my colleagues who accepted the translation and did not spare their assistance, to the employees of Güneş bookstore in the person of Nuran Karacan, and to our congress operations manager Yeşim Tanrıverdi.