Limited microdiscectomy effective for disc herniation

(HealthDay)—In patients with lumbar disc herniation, limited discectomy with removal of the fragment is associated with good long-term outcomes, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.

John Soliman, D.O., from the Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal, Ill., and colleagues reviewed outcomes a mean of 7.2 years after surgery in 54 patients with lumbar disc herniation treated by minimally invasive microsurgical fragmentectomy.

The researchers found that 88.9 percent of patients reported an excellent or good outcome after surgery. Among patients with back pain, 89.8 percent reported improvement, and among those with leg pain, 88.0 percent reported improvement. Disability was minimal, as assessed by the Oswestry Disability Index. Same-level recurrences requiring reoperation occurred in 11.1 percent of patients. There was no appreciable difference in operative reherniation between patients with known contained herniations and known extruded herniations.

"Our long-term outcome study shows that a minimally invasive approach to microdiscectomy with removal of the fragment only is an effective way to treat lumbar disc herniation," Soliman and colleagues conclude.