Introduction of Special Issue: Advancement and Preparation of Spine Surgery and Treatment for Future Humanity

Pang Hung Wu

doi:10.21182/jmisst.2026.03251

In this special issue, the first Journal of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery and Technique (JMISST) publication of 2026, we discussed the advancement and preparation for spine surgery and treatment for future humanity. It is a great honor to be the guest editor of this special edition with my valuable team members working on various important topics which touch on complex spinal conditions which are treated with minimally invasive surgery. There is strong interest in minimally invasive spinal surgery as expectation of our patients have evolved from treatment of spinal conditions to treatment of spinal conditions with less disruption to their daily routine and minimising the psychological and physical trauma associated with spinal surgery. In this modern spinal treatment. Hence it is an appropriate time as we step into 2026, to discuss these advanced versions of spinal treatments [1,2]. We have Risdianto et al. [3] describing an article on the endoscopic anatomy of lumbar spine which sets the tone of knowledge required for preparation of spinal surgery to perform more complex spinal surgery using unilateral biportal endoscopy or uniportal endoscopy. While Palsma et al. [4] described the use of tubular retraction for intradural and extramedullary spine pathology, it showed that minimally invasive technique is safe and effective for intradural extramedullary (IDEM) pathology compared to traditional open technique which laid down a strong foundation for research for future treatment of IDEM. Preservation of facet joints in the spinal endoscopy is a topic which we often discussed about [5]. Kim et al. [6] also described the superiority of selective superior articular process resection compared to transforaminal endoscopic lumbar foraminotomy.

For chronic back pain, there has been strong interest in radiofrequency ablation of basivertebral nerve. The earlier description of function and anatomy of basivertebral nerve had been highlighted well by Kim and Wu et al. [2,7] In this edition, we discussed a currently hot topic of Image-Guided Bilateral Transpedicular Basivertebral Nerve Ablation in Vertebrogenic Pain: Early Experience With Expanded Indications by Smith et al. [8] which further opens up research interest on the role of basivertebral nerve radiofrequency ablation as treatment of chronic lower back pain.

Lumbar interbody fusion is a topic which is of importance for future treatment direction [9]. We have several articles in this edition which discussed minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) compared to open TLIF. First is by Cheong et al. [10] which discussed minimally invasive surgery TLIF has an advantage in less radiographic adjacent segment degeneration with noninferiority in fusion rate and long-term outcomes compared to open spinal fusion. Lee et al. [11] discussed that 3-dimensional (3D) printed cages had better short-term outcomes and noninferior long-term outcomes compared to open TLIF. Park et al. [12] also compared expandable cage with polyetheretherketone cage in 2 cohorts of patients who underwent endoscopic fusion.

Cervical screw placement is of great concern to all spine surgeons due to precarious and concise anatomy while limited bone stock for large screws. We have several articles in our special edition which discuss this important topic. There is a comparative meta-analysis for 3D printed navigated guide in comparison with spinal navigation for cervical pedicle screw fixation by Sarasombath et al. [13] and Wongthawat et al. [14] described the current evidence and future direction of endoscopic cervical odontoid screw fixation. We are delighted to present this important advancement of techniques for precise placement of screws in cervical spine.

Finally, we have case reports on important topics such as nerve root herniation due to delayed dural tear management after spinal endoscopy by Lee et al., [15] unilateral biportal endoscopic (UBE) resection of cervical laminar osteoid osteoma by Song and Jung [16] which further supports the use of UBE first described by Hung et al. [17] in osteoid osteoma. An important discussion by Özkara et al. [18] on minimally invasive multilevel decompression and irrigation for holospinal subdural abscess highlights that we can do complex spinal surgery with the minimally invasive techniques.

Overall, in this exciting first edition of JMISST in 2026, we have a line up of great articles discussing various aspects of spinal surgery done with the latest minimally invasive techniques to improve the future of humanity. We thank our team of editorial board members, our authors and our visionary chief editor Prof Hyeun Sung Kim for completion of this special edition of JMISST.

NOTES

Conflicts of Interest

PHW, a member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery & Technique, is the corresponding author of this article. However, he played no role whatsoever in the editorial evaluation of this article or the decision to publish it. Except for that, no potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

REFERENCES

1. Kim HS, Wu PH, Jang IT. Current and future of endoscopic spine surgery: what are the common procedures we have now and what lies ahead. World Neurosurg 2020;140:642–53.

2. Wu PH, Kim HS, Jang IT. Intervertebral disc diseases Part 2: a review of the current diagnostic and treatment strategies for intervertebral disc disease. Int J Mol Sci 2020;21:2135.

3. Risdianto A, Kurnia H, Ismail MF, Santoso AG, Bakthiar Y, et al. Endoscopic anatomy of the lumbar spine: implications for advancements in biportal endoscopic spine surgery. J Minim Invasive Spine Surg Tech 2026;11(Suppl 1):S94–101.

4. Palsma R, Burket AR, Avila MJ, Moreno A, Chua RV. Minimally invasive surgical experience using tubular retraction for intradural extramedullary spine pathology: a case series and systematic review with pooled analysis. J Minim Invasive Spine Surg Tech 2026;11(Suppl 1):S71–83.

5. Hamasaki T, Tanaka N, Kim J, Okada M, Ochi M, Hutton WC. Biomechanical assessment of minimally invasive decompression for lumbar spinal canal stenosis: a cadaver study. J Spinal Disord Tech 2009;22:486–91.

6. Kim P, Seo JH, Kim HS. Full endoscopic total resection of superior articular process for lumbar foraminal decompression. J Minim Invasive Spine Surg Tech 2026;11(Suppl 1):S53–62.

7. Kim HS, Wu PH, Jang IT. Lumbar degenerative disease part 1: anatomy and pathophysiology of intervertebral discogenic pain and radiofrequency ablation of basivertebral and sinuvertebral nerve treatment for chronic discogenic back pain: a prospective case series and review of literature. Int J Mol Sci 2020;21:1483.

8. Smith LC, Peters WR, Smith JT, Zotti MG, Buchan C, Wright R, et al. Image-guided bilateral transpedicular basivertebral nerve ablation in vertebrogenic pain: early experience with expanded indications. J Minim Invasive Spine Surg Tech 2026;11(Suppl 1):S84–93.

9. Wang MY, Cummock MD, Yu Y, Trivedi RA. An analysis of the differences in the acute hospitalization charges following minimally invasive versus open posterior lumbar interbody fusion. J Neurosurg Spine 2010;12:694–9.

10. Cheong RS, Tan YB, Yue WM, Guo CM, Tan SB, Yeo W, et al. Does minimally invasive lumbar spine fusion reduce adjacent segment degeneration? a matched-pair analysis with 8-year follow-up. J Minim Invasive Spine Surg Tech 2026;11(Suppl 1):S63–70.

11. Lee SH, Seo J, Jeong D, Han SY, Lee DH, Jang JW, et al. Unilateral biportal endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) using 3-dimensional-printed titanium cages compared with open TLIF: a comparison of clinical outcomes and fusion rates. J Minim Invasive Spine Surg Tech 2026;11(Suppl 1):S28–40.

12. Park SH, Park CW, Lee CY. Radiographic and clinical trade-offs between expandable and polyetheretherketone cages in endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. J Minim Invasive Spine Surg Tech 2026;11(Suppl 1):S41–52.

13. Sarasombath P, Liawrungrueang W, Kotheeranurak V, Chitragran R. Precision in cervical spine surgery: a systematic review and comparative meta-analysis of navigated guides for safe and effective pedicle screw fixation. J Minim Invasive Spine Surg Tech 2026;11(Suppl 1):S14–27.

14. Wongthawat Liawrungrueang, Peem Sarasombath, Chaiyapruk Pundee, Sung Tan Cho, Pang Hung Wu, Meng-Huang Wu, et al. Current evidence and future directions of endoscopic-assisted anterior odontoid screw fixation: a systematic review. J Minim Invasive Spine Surg Tech 2026;11(Suppl 1):S4–13.

15. Lee SH, Jang JW, Cho YE, Park CK. Nerve root herniation due to delayed dural tear following unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression with lumbar discectomy using unilateral biportal endoscopy. J Minim Invasive Spine Surg Tech 2026;11(Suppl 1):S109–15.

16. Song KS, Jung JY. Minimally invasive biportal endoscopic resection of a cervical laminar osteoid osteoma adjacent to the facet joint: a case report. J Minim Invasive Spine Surg Tech 2026;11(Suppl 1):S102–8.

17. Hung WP, Kavishwar RA, Natalie THW, Tan G. Unilateral biportal endoscopic supralaminar, posterior spinous process sparing approach for en bloc cervical laminectomy in case of cervical osteochondroma causing myelopathy: a case report. N Am Spine Soc J 2023;14:100225.

18. Özkara E, Ekinci GB, Özbek Z. Minimally invasive multilevel decompression and irrigation for holospinal subdural abscess: a case report. J Minim Invasive Spine Surg Tech 2026;11(Suppl 1):S116–9.