Automated percutaneous discectomy: a prospective multi-institutional study

A prospective multi-institutional study was carried out to evaluate automated percutaneous discectomy in the treatment of lumbar disc herniations. Of the 327 patients who prospectively met the study criteria and were followed for longer than 1 year, 75.2% were successfully treated. When patients (n...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNeurosurgery Vol. 26; no. 2; p. 228
Main Authors Onik, G, Mooney, V, Maroon, J C, Wiltse, L, Helms, C, Schweigel, J, Watkins, R, Kahanovitz, N, Day, A, Morris, J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.02.1990
Subjects
Humans
Intervertebral Disc Displacement - surgery
Multicenter Studies as Topic
Neurosurgery - methods
Prospective Studies
Punctures
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Summary:A prospective multi-institutional study was carried out to evaluate automated percutaneous discectomy in the treatment of lumbar disc herniations. Of the 327 patients who prospectively met the study criteria and were followed for longer than 1 year, 75.2% were successfully treated. When patients (n = 168) who prospectively did not meet the study criteria were treated, the success rate was 49.4%. One case of discitis was reported; otherwise, no other serious complications were noted, and specifically no vascular or nerve damage was encountered. This study indicates that automated percutaneous discectomy can be used successfully to treat lumbar disc herniations with minimal morbidity and emphasizes the need for proper patient selection.
ISSN:0148-396X
DOI:10.1227/00006123-199002000-00007