ABSTRACT

Although discectomy operations are the most common operations on the spine, thoracic region discectomies are very rare. Thoracic discectomy procedures constitute only 0.15% to 4% of all disc surgeries. The highest incidence is during the fourth and fifth decades of life. Cases frequently occur below the T8 level, with T11–12 as the most common level. The common symptoms bringing the patient to hospital are unilateral radicular pain, or pain spreading from the upper or middle back to the chest.

Magnetic resonance imaging is the most important radiological technique to diagnose spinal disc pathologies. Because of the complex anatomical structure of the thoracic region, there are multiple surgical approaches and techniques used and described. Nowadays, when surgery is planned for thoracic discectomy, minimally invasive techniques such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, endoscopic discectomy, microendoscopic discectomy, and microdiscectomy, are commonly used, despite traditional techniques such as thoracotomy, costotransversectomy, and a lateral extracavitary approach.