BACKGROUND Transforaminal endoscopic discectomy and foraminotomy is a well-described minimally invasive technique for surgically treating lumbar radiculopathy caused by a herniated disc and foraminal narrowing. OBJECTIVE To describe the technique and feasibility of transforaminal foraminoplasty for the treatment of lumbar radiculopathy in patients who have already undergone instrumented spina...

I read with interest the article by Farzanegan et al. , titled " Effects of lumbar discectomy on disability and depression in patients with chronic low back pain " (1). It was a very well-written article on an important subject, which has remained largely ignored. I would therefore like to congratulate the investigators for highlighting the subject. However, I have a few concerns regarding the ...

BACKGROUND Lumbar discectomy is still one of the most common spinal surgeries performed today. Nevertheless, there are few publications considering severe complications. CASE DESCRIPTION We report a case with severe complication, without any previous report, a brain empyema after cerebrospinal fluid leak with good outcome afterword. A 45 years old man, returned six days after surgery, present...

The optimum timing of lumbar discectomy for sciatica is imprecise. We have investigated a number of prognostic factors in relation to the outcome of radiculopathy after lumbar discectomy. We recruited 113 consecutive patients of whom 103 (91%) were followed up at one year. We found a significant association between the duration of radiculopathy and the changes in the Oswestry Disability Index s...

Herein we discuss a case of a 55 year old male presenting with history suggestive of sciatica on the left leg. Straight leg raising (SLR) test was positive at 45 degrees on the left side. His ankle reflex was absent and the power of extensor hallusus longus (EHL) was 4/5 on the same side. MRI lumbosacral spine revealed left paramedian disc prolapsed on L4/L5 level with spinal canal diameter of ...

Between 1995 and 1999, 12 patients aged 65 years or more (mean 70.2) with lumbar disc herniation, underwent partial laminectomy and nucleotomy. The results were compared with those of 25 younger patients aged between 20 and 40 years (mean 30.1), who underwent the same surgical procedure. The Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score was used to assess the clinical outcome. The minimum follow-...

OBJECTIVE To produce free, expert-informed postoperative information for lumbar discectomy patients, satisfying UK National Health Service Information Standards. DESIGN A mixed methods approach utilising the Delphi technique and focus groups. SETTING Five spinal centres across the UK. PARTICIPANTS Panel members included 23 physiotherapists, 11 patients and 17 spinal surgeons. INTERVENTI...