A discectomy (also called open discectomy) is the surgical removal of herniated disc material that presses on a nerve root or the spinal cord. The procedure involves removing the central portion of an intervertebral disc, the nucleus pulposus, which causes pain by stressing the spinal cord or radiating nerves.

Mixter and Barr first described laminectomy for LDH in 1934 through L3 to sacrum approach. Hemilaminectomy came into practice in the 1970s. ¹⁾.

Caspar and Williams described microdiscectomy via a 3 cm incision in 1977.

Wiltse and Spencer described the paraspinal approach for managing extra-foraminal discs in 1988 ²⁾. In the same year, Kambin and Sampson described a fully endoscopic approach [FE]) for an extra-foraminal approach

In 1993, Mayer and Brock reported the use of tubular retractors. Foley and Smith performed a video-assisted technique using a tubular work canal (Micro-endoscopic discectomy: MED) via a 2-cm incision adopting a trans-muscular approach without multifidus release from its insertion in 1997.

A single level discectomy is one of the most common procedures performed by spine surgeons.

Cervical discectomy

Lumbar discectomy

Macrodiscectomy

Microdiscectomy

Limited Discectomy

Aggressive Discectomy

Epidural fibrosis and epidural adhesion after laminectomy are developed from adjacent dense scar tissue, which is a natural wound healing process ^{3) 4) 5) 6)} , and ranked as the major contributor for postoperative pain recurrence after laminectomy or discectomy.