Spinal endoscopy: Historical review and current applications

Abstract

This chapter gives background on the origins of spinal endoscopy and elaborates on the precise use of terms that are commonly used in the context of spinal endoscopic procedures. The expression endoscopy is based on the two Greek words εdδ (éndon) = inside and s??pe?? (skopein) = to observe. Philipp Bozzini invented a candle-illuminated device to inspect ears and other body orifices whereas in 1853 Desormeaux developed an advanced device and for the first time the term “endoscope” was documented in the 1855 proceedings of the French Academy of Sciences. Desormeaux is known as “the father of endoscopy.” The invention of the electric light bulb by Edison, the rod lens systems by Hopkins in 1960, and of the CCD camera by Boyle and Smith were important steps towards modern endoscopes. Even earlier, Kenji Tagaki and Masaki Watanabe experimented with the first arthroscopes and after the second world war, the first human knee joint was arthroscopically examined. Watanabe, Takeda, and Ikeuchi published the first Atlas of Arthroscopy in 1957 and Watanabe is known as the “father of arthroscopy.” From joint arthroscopy, spinal applications were developed and pioneered by Kambin, Hijikata, Suezawa, Schreiber, Leu, and others. For a precise use of the term “endoscopy” in a spinal context, one should distinguish between “coaxial” or “full” endoscopy, which employs thin, tubular and coaxial surgical devices that contain image transmission, illumination, irrigation, and a working channel all in one instrument on one side. On the other side and parallel to “full endoscopy,” there are devices that employ a minimized tubular retractor and that use an endoscopic camera for image transmission. Whereas the “full endoscopy” systems use specially designed surgical tools under constant irrigation, these other systems use mostly standard microsurgical instruments in a regular operation field that is open to air.