Microdiscectomy is a surgical procedure for the relief of pain and other symptoms that occur when a herniated disc in the spine presses on an adjacent nerve root. During the operation, the surgeon frees the nerve by removing small fragments of disc, bone and ligament. Microdiscectomy is sometimes described as a minimally invasive spine surgery, because it requires only a small incision and the use of a microscope or surgical glasses, called loupes, to magnify the site where the injury has occurred. The surgeon also uses smaller tools and instruments to work in the restricted space of the spine. Microdiscectomy is a type of spinal the surgical