Percutaneous lumbar diskectomy: clinical study in 1731 cases

Objective: To study the medium-term and long-term therapeutic effect of percutaneous lumbar discectomy (PLD), and to evaluate the prevention and treatment of its complications by retrospectively analyzing 1731 cases who received PLD procedure. Methods: 1731 PLD procedures performed from Feb. 1991 to Mar. 2001 were retrospectively studied. The medium-term therapeutic effect in 472 cases followed from 3 to 5 years and the long-term effect in 385 cases followed from 6 to 9 years were analyzed. The prevention and treatment of the aggravating lumbodynia after PLD were also investigated. Results: The medium-term and long-term effective rate was 86.7% and 78.2%, respectively. The aggravating lumbodynia after PLD was related to psoas muscle spasm and lumbar small joint disorder. Conclusion: PLD is an effective, safe, and minimal-invasive treatment method with less complications