2005 Volume 14 Issue 8 Pages 493-498
The authors analyzed 16 patients requiring reoperation for lumbar disc herniation among 603 patients who had undergone lumbar disc surgery. The mean age of patients undergoing reoperation was 44 years (range, 23 to 57). Overall occurrence of reoperation was 2.7%. Lesions dissected at reoperation were located the same site as at the initial operation in 7 patients (1.2%), with instability being present in 1 patient (0.2%); at the same level but on the contralateral side in 3 patients (0.5%); and at a different level in 5 patients (0.8%). Microdiscectomy was performed at reoperation in these 15 patients, and the patient with instability underwent spinal fusion at the same level as the lesion. Outcome of microdiscectomy in this series was favorable; spinal fusion is not required routinely in patients undergoing repeat discectomy for recurrent disc herniation. In the absence of objective evidence of spinal instability, recurrent disc herniation may be adequately treated by repeating lumbar microdiscectomy alone.
