The Effectiveness of a Far Lateral L5-S1 Microdiscectomy in Pain Reduction

Diagnosis of far lateml disc herniations has become more common in recent years. This study describes the surgical procedure used for 1 far late l disc herniations, shows the benefits derived from a far lateml approach and retrospectively evaluates the outcome of the surgery. Eight patients were included in the study, five females and three males. The mean age was 62 years (range, 45-77 years). VAS pain scale, OSW index and SF-36 forms were used to evaluate the surgical outcome. Both the VAS pain scale and OSW index were improved postoperatively. The SF-36 scores were significantly lower (p<0.05) for the far late l patients compared to both the low back pain population and the U.S. aged 55-64 year population. INTRODUCTION The vertebml spine is divided into three sections: cervical, thoracic and lumbar with a total of seven, twelve, and five vertebrae respectively. Each vertebra consists of a rounded body anteriorly and a vertebml arch posteriorly. The space formed between the vertebral body and arch is called the vertebml foramen and is the area through which the spinal cord travels, while intervertebml foramens are found between vertebrae and allow nerve roots to branch off latemlly from the spinal cord. The vertebral body increases in size as progression occurs down the spinal column, making the lumbar vertebrae massive and kidney-shaped. The spinous process of a lumbar vertebra is short and projects directly backward, while the transverse processes are long and slender. The fifth lumbar vertebra (L5) articulates inferiorly with the upper border of the sacrum (9). A semielastic intervertebml disc, which serves as a shock absorber and allows the vertebra to move upon each other, is located between each adjacent vertebra. The disc consists of