Endoscopic extraction of a hunting bullet from a thoracic vertebra (T10)

In this case, the projectile was embedded in the T10 thoracic vertebra and was causing persistent back pain, prompting the decision to perform minimally invasive surgical extraction.

The video below illustrates the different stages of this endoscopic extraction of a hunting pellet from the T10 thoracic vertebra, performed using single-port endoscopic spine surgery.  

Endoscopic spine surgery: minimally invasive extraction

The procedure was performed using a single-port endoscopic approach, a minimally invasive spine surgery technique that allows precise access to the spine through a skin incision measuring just a few millimeters.

After fluoroscopic localization of the T10 level, the endoscopic approach allowed exposure of the site where the projectile was located. The hunting bullet was identified and then extracted under direct endoscopic control, with maximum respect for the surrounding anatomical structures.

Endoscopic spine surgery offers the following advantages:
• Limited muscle dissection
• Direct visualization of the surgical site
• Reduced post-operative pain
• Rapid functional recovery

In this case, the post-operative course was uneventful, allowing the patient to be discharged on the day of the procedure, with one week of sick leave.

Indications for endoscopic spine surgery

Endoscopic spine surgery is now widely used to treat:
• lumbar or thoracic disc herniation
• spinal canal stenosis
• certain nerve compressions

In rarer situations, this minimally invasive technique can also be used to remove foreign bodies from the spine, as in this case involving the extraction of an intravertebral projectile, while limiting tissue trauma.

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