Lumbar discectomy is a very effective therapy for neurological decompression in patients suffering from sciatica due to a hernia nuclei pulposus. However, high recurrence rates and persisting post-operative low back pain in these patients require serious attention. In the past decade, tissue engineering strategies have been developed mainly targeted to the regeneration of the nucleus pulposus (...

The study included a group of anterior cervical microdiscectomy without fusion performed at one level (either C5-C6 level or at the C6-C7 level) and a second group of patients with same single-level of anterior cervical discectomy with fusion. The kinematic analysis included the range of motion, anteroposterior translation and disc height assessed for the cervical functional spinal units at the...

OBJECTIVE We evaluated postoperative outcomes in patients who have lumbar foraminal or extraforaminal disc herniation (FELDH) and suggested the risk factors for poor outcomes. METHODS A total of 234 patients were selected for this study. Pre- and post-operative Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Korean version Oswestry Disability Index (KODI) were evaluated and the changes of both score were cal...

BACKGROUND Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy is a relatively new technique. Very few studies have reported the clinical outcome of percutaneous endoscopic discectomy in terms of quality of life and return to work. METHOD 55 patients with percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy done from 2002 to 2006 had their clinical outcomes reviewed in terms of the North American Spine Score (NAS...

BACKGROUND Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, total disk replacement and open door laminoplasty have been widely used to treat patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy and/or radiculopathy. In our clinical practice, many patients with cervical spondylosis also complain of headache, and wish to know if the surgical treatment for cervical spondylosis can also alleviate this symptom. Co...

Today, minimally invasive surgical approach in spinal surgery is increasingly becoming popular. Microdiscectomy has been gold standard since 1990. However, in certain centers endoscopic discectomy techniques started to be used. 13,14,21,22 Today, in East Asia, 30% of the discs are operated endoscopically. And this gives us the signals that the surgical method will change in the future. Transfor...

STUDY DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies. OBJECTIVE To characterize the association of annular defect width after lumbar discectomy with the risk of symptom recurrence and reoperation. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Large annular defect width after lumbar discectomy has been reported to increase risk of symptom recurrence. However, this association has not been ev...

Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) is an alternative minimally invasive technique for the treatment of lumbosacral radicular syndrome resulting from lumbar disc herniation. The latter performed with help local anesthesia and sedation in awake patient advantage direct feedback. Access to target lateral follows a safe trajectory through Kambin triangle. main advantages this ...

A pharyngeal diverticulum is a rare complication of an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). We present a case of a pharyngeal diverticulum after an ACDF, which was misdiagnosed as a typical Zenker diverticulum. A 54-year-old woman presented with dysphagia and a sense of irritation in the neck following C5 through C7 cervical fusion 3 years prior. The patient underwent open surgery to...

Iatrogenic ureteral injuries account for ∼75% of all ureteral injuries and occur primarily during urologic, gynecologic, general, and vascular surgery procedures. Ureteral injury during spine surgery is a rare complication with only occasional reports in the literature. In this case report, we present a case of unrecognized left ureteral injury during an open right lumbar discectomy with a dela...