Endoscopic treatment of lumbar degenerative disc disease: a narrative review of Full-Endoscopic and Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic Spine Surgery

Degenerative lumbar spine disease is the leading cause of disability and work absenteeism worldwide. Lumbar microdiscectomy became the standard treatment for herniated discs and stenotic disease. With the evolution of different techniques, endoscopic spinal surgery emerged to minimize the surgical footprint while providing at least non-inferior results. Currently, two different types of endoscopic spine procedures are dominating the surgical scenario: "Full-Endoscopic" (FE) and Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic" (UBE) Spine Surgery. The aim of this study is to describe and analyze their indications, their technical characteristicswithitsadvantagesanddisadvantagesofbothtechniquesandtheirfuture trends.