Abstract
Since 1996, we have performed percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD) in the treatment of 22 patients (14 males and 8 females) with lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Nd: YAG laser device was used for this procedure. The average age at the time of operation was 38.2 years (range, 16 to 64 years) and the average duration of follow-up was 7.4 months (range, 3 to 12 months). PLDD was applied to the contained disc, with estimates based on preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) images. Twenty-six discs were operated on and 15 of them (57.7%) were L4/5 discs.
The short-term clinical results were better in the younger patients (below 30 years) than in the older. No serious complications were reported. Postoperative MR images showed that the size of the herniated disc was not reduced in most patients, even in those showing marked clinical improvement. Unsuccessful results were obtained in 6 patients. Open surgeries performed on 3 of them revealed an uncontained disc in one case.
Although PLDD is a minimally invasive surgery for LDH, it did not always produce good results. This study suggests that while PLDD is effective for young patients with contained disc, sufficient consideration must be made before its implementation.
