This is a generic description of a variety of different minimally invasive techniques used to decompress a herniated disc as an alternative to an open surgical procedure. Typically these procedures are performed through a needle or a very small cannula and do not involve a significant incision of the skin. There are multiple different surgical techniques which have been described for percutaneous discectomy. Percutaneous Laser Disc Decompression (PLDD) is one of the minimally invasive surgical approaches for removal of a disc herniation. This treatment involves the placement of a cannula into a damaged disc and through it tissue is removed. The cannula is a small tube, similar to a straw that houses the tools needed to fix the disc. These tools can include a means of seeing inside the disc, as well as the tools used to remove the disc materiel. The basic idea behind this treatment is that by removing a small amount of tissue from the inside of the disc we can reduce the internal pressure within the disc, thereby decreasing the force pushing the disc material through the defect or weakened portion of the disc outer wall. .