Self-directed learning:   October 26–December 2

Synchronous live event: December 3-December 5 

from 14:00 to 17:25 CET

Course description

The spine endoscopy course is one of five online AO Spine educational events offered this year for the AO Davos Courses. The first part of the event, with self-directed online learning (at your own pace), will cover the fundamentals and theory of the course and will take 6 weeks, with 3–4 hours per week of online learning. The second part will be the synchronous, live event from December 3–6, requiring 3 hours per day. The synchronous, live event will include: 

• Live case discussions
• Interactive exercises/demonstrations
• Prerecorded videos with real patients and video sequences shared online for discussion

Why you should attend this course and how it can benefit your daily practice

This comprehensive online educational event will benefit both beginners and the more experienced endoscopic surgeons.  Focusing on the lumbar spine, surgeons new to this extremely exciting field will learn the basic endoscopic principles, tasks, and how to safely perform transforaminal and interlaminar discectomy. More experienced surgeons will get an excellent opportunity to broaden their endoscopic practice to include various types of degenerative stenosis in the central canal, lateral recess and foramen.

What this course offers

A six-week, online component will take you from the basics of endoscopic lumbar spine surgery, through interlaminar (IELD) and transforaminal (TELD) discectomy approaches, to the more advanced techniques of unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression (ULBD), interlaminar lateral recess decompression (IE-LRD), foraminoplasty (TELF), and transforaminal endoscopic lateral recess decompression (TE-LRD).

A very exciting and interactive synchronous course component in December will then follow to reenforce knowledge. This will take the format of lively case discussions specifically picked to cover indications, approaches, surgical techniques, and managing complications of all endoscopic lumbar procedures.

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
• Handle the endoscope and perform basic endoscopic tasks.
• Identify lumbar pathologies suited to start endoscopic practice.
• Describe the steps to TELD and IELD.
• Explain the rationale behind selecting TELD or IELD for a given disc herniation.
• Discuss measures to prevent and manage complications pertinent to TELD and IELD.
• Identify the more advanced spectrum of endoscopic lumbar surgery related to stenosis, and patient selection
• Describe the steps to perform various endoscopic procedures used to treat stenosis in the lumbar spine.
• Select the appropriate endoscopic approach to various stenosis types in the lumbar spine.
• Discuss measures to prevent and manage complications pertinent to endoscopic lumbar decompression.