Dr. Ghassan Elgeadi, together with Alberto Caballero and Miguel de Pedro, has authored the manuscript “Endoscopic Lumbar Surgery in the Elderly: An Age-Stratified Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”, a systematic review and meta-analysis focused on evaluating the safety and clinical effectiveness of endoscopic spinal surgery in elderly patients with degenerative lumbar disease.
The study examines the role of endoscopic lumbar surgery as a minimally invasive alternative for the treatment of conditions such as lumbar spinal stenosis and lumbar disc herniation, particularly in older patients, a population in which age has traditionally been considered a potential limiting factor for surgical indication.
The research includes 19 studies published between 2014 and 2025, comprising a total of 5,753 patients. The findings show that patients aged 80 years and older achieved improvements comparable to those of younger patients in low back pain, lower extremity pain, functional disability and overall clinical outcomes, with no significant increase in complications when patients were appropriately selected.
One of the key conclusions of the manuscript is that chronological age alone should not be considered a contraindication for endoscopic lumbar surgery. Surgical indication should be assessed on an individual basis, taking into account frailty, comorbidities, functional status and the concordance between symptoms and imaging findings.
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Request a medical evaluationThis study reinforces the importance of moving toward more precise, less invasive and patient-tailored spine surgery, especially in an increasingly ageing population with a growing need for safe and effective surgical solutions.
