Is Close Supervision by a Senior Surgeon Necessary During the Initial Days of Performing Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy? A Retrospective Comparative Study between Two Fellowship Trained Surgeons to Assess the Learning Curve

Endoscopic lumbar discectomy is a minimally invasive technique with a steep learning curve. The studies in the literature base the learning curve on the operative duration. We conducted this study to determine the learning curve based on the presence or absence of supervision by an experienced surgeon.