Sequestrectomy or microdiscectomy in patients with lumbar disc herniation

Abstract

Aim: Which microsurgical method can provide better outcomes for patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is still unclear in the literature. In the present study, the aim was to retrospectively examine the efficacy of both lumbar sequestrectomy (LST) and lumbar microdiscectomy (LMD) in patients with LDH. Material and Methods: Re-herniation rate of patients (n=48), operation and hospitalization durations were evaluated. Preoperative and postoperative low back pain and leg pain of patients were evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Postoperative analgesic usage duration and duration for returning to daily life were also evaluated. The mean follow-up period is seven month. Results: Postoperative complications and re-herniation rate in patients who underwent LMD and LST were similar. However, postoperative analgesic usage, operation, and hospitalization duration were lower in the LST group. In addition, the duration required for returning to daily life was lower in the LST group than that in the LMD group. Conclusion: Postoperative analgesic usage period and duration required for returning to daily life were less in patients who underwent LST. However, the efficacy of these surgical techniques should be investigated with multi-center, randomized, double-blind clinical trials which also have larger series of participants with different races.