Percutaneous lumbar discectomy.

ABSTRACT

Percutaneous lumbar discectomy is a proven alternative to the more invasive open discectomy used to treat patients who experience discogenic pain. Estimated to cost the United States health care system more than $20 billion a year, discogenic leg pain represents the primary cause of health care expenditure. Taken together, back pain and discogenic leg pain result in more days lost than any other combined illnesses and injuries. Annular breakdown and tears are common discogenic sources that produce pain, and are usually treated with microdiscectomy by orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons. Open discectomy has been considered to be the gold standard for relieving pressure on nerve roots. By decompressing the nerve root from the disc, neurologic function is usually restored and pain is relieved. Recurrent disc herniations may and typically do occur because of the annular violation that results from the surgical procedure.