IMPORTANCE Oral steroids are commonly used to treat acute sciatica due to a herniated disk but have not been evaluated in an appropriately powered clinical trial. OBJECTIVE To determine if oral prednisone is more effective than placebo in improving function and pain among patients with acute sciatica. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical tr...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and cost effectiveness of inpatient and outpatient laparoscopic lumbar diskectomy (LLD) compared with laminectomy (LAM) in the surgical treatment of disabling L5-S1 disk herniation. Sixty-two adults underwent surgery for herniated L5-S1 intervertebral disks (31 LLD and 31 LAM). Operative blood loss (EBL) (milliliters), operative ...

Back pain is fairly prevalent in healthy children and adolescents. When children or adolescents seek medical care for back pain, it is highly likely that underlying pathology will be identified. Common causes of back pain include nonspecific pain or muscle strain, herniated disk, spondylolysis, scoliosis, and Scheuermann's kyphosis. Less common causes include tumor, infection, and sickle cell c...

Air may be visualized in the spinal epidural space in a variety of settings. Pathologic collections of air from herniated vacuum disk and epidural abscess have been described [1, 2]. Iatrogenic air may result from epidural anesthesia or unsuccessful lumbar puncture. Intraspinal air (pneumorrhachis) after trauma has been considered a rare occurrence; only three cases have been reported in the li...

Cervical radiculopathy is a disease process marked by nerve compression from herniated disk material or arthritic bone spurs. This impingement typically produces neck and radiating arm pain or numbness, sensory deficits, or motor dysfunction in the neck and upper extremities. Magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomographic myelography can confirm neurologic compression. The overall prognosis...

Intraoperative bovine-derived topical thrombin is still widely used for hemostasis during surgery. A 38-year-old woman with chronic spontaneous urticaria was referred to the orthopedic surgery department for herniated disk and myelopathy. During the first stage of operation, bovine-derived thrombin powder soaked in Gelfoam was used as a hemostatic aid. After 30 minutes, the patient developed an...

The spontaneous resolution of herniated cervical discs has not been previously well documented. The authors analysed four cases who underwent spontaneous resolution of herniated cervical discs, and all other cases reported in the literature. A complex physiopathologic mechanism that includes the release of basic fibroblast grow factors, endothelial cell proliferation, chemotaxis of inflammatory...