1996 Volume 45 Issue 3 Pages 736-738
We present a series of 30 patients who were diagnosed as having extraforaminal lumbar disc herniations and underwent osteoplastic hemilaminectomy. Subjects included 20 male and 10 female patients, with an average age of 51 years. Regarding the level of the herniation, fifteen were at the L5-S level, nine at the L4-5 level, six at the L3-4 level and one at the L2-3 level. The follow-up period varied between 11 months and 104 months, with an average of 54.7 months.
The results were as follows. The mean JOA score was 27.5 at the last follow-up, compared to 12.4 pre-operatively. Complete union was achieved in all osteotomy cases. No patient suffered spinal instability postoperatively.
An advantage of osteoplastic hemilaminectomy is that it allows a comprehensive view of the nerve root canal throughout the intraforaminal and extraforaminal zones and preserves posterior structures such as the facet joint and pars interarticularis.
