Percutaneous Transforaminal Endoscopic Discectomy for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Aim: To explore the long-term outcome of patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) performed with percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy technique (PTED). Materials and methods: In this retrospective study, we collected the medical records from 974 patients with LDH who received PTED operation from May 2010 to July 2015. Follow-up measurements were performed at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. Before and after surgery, visual analogue scale (VAS) was used for evaluating pain in leg and low back. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was used for evaluating the recovery of function. Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) and modified MacNab criteria were used for clinical efficacy evaluation. Results: We found that the mean value of VAS and ODI were significantly decreased at each follow-up time points compared with that before operation (each p<0.01). The JOA showed significantly improving after the surgery through the follow-up period (each p<0.05). Furthermore, according to the modified MacNab criteria, the overall response of clinical efficiency was excellent in 32.7% patients and good in 54.9% patients.. Conclusion: PTED performed with broad, easy, and immediate surgery (BEIS) technique is an effective endoscopic discectomy approach for the treatment of LDH.