Background Data:

Back or leg pain is common in all lumbar disc herniation including the patients who had surgery or not. Trans-Sacral Epiduroscopic Laser Decompression, a new, minimally invasive therapeutic technique, may be useful in many patients with lumbar disc herniation. We investigated the clinical outcomes of this procedure for chronic low back pain and radicular pain in lumbar disc herniation with the comparison between the patients who had surgery and who did not.

Materials – Methods:

Patients with lumbar disc herniation (n=144, median age 42,64±10,24 yr) were divided into two groups: a group without any operations and those who have had back surgery. Each patient, in whom relevant findings were present on MR images, was submitted to Trans-Sacral Epiduroscopic Laser Decompression. The patients with motor weakness, spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis were excluded from the study. Outcomes of the patients were assessed with Visual Analogue Scale score and Oswestry Disability Index. The same procedure was performed in all patients under local anesthesia and sedation. We analyzed the clinical data, median age, symptom duration, radiological findings, and outcome scores. Statistical analysis was performed using appropriate statistical tests.

Results:

Significant improvement in low back and lower limb pain was observed on the first day after the procedure. The outcome scores after 6 months and 2 years in both groups were significantly decreased as well.

Conclusion:

From these findings, we suggest that Trans-Sacral Epiduroscopic Laser Decompression could be a safe and effective treatment modality for Lumbar Disc Diseases in selected cases.

Keywords: Trans-sacral; epiduroscopic; laser; disc decompression