OBJECT The safe integration into practice of a new surgical technique requires an appreciation of the learning curve. The object of this study was to assess the learning curve for minimally invasive microdiscectomy (MIM) utilizing a tubular retractor system. METHODS A prospective evaluation of a single surgeon's first 52 consecutive MIM cases for radiculopathy secondary to single-level poster...

OBJECTIVE Specialization is generally independently associated with improved outcomes for most types of surgery. This is the first study comparing the immediate success of outpatient lumbar microdiscectomy with respect to acute complication and conversion to inpatient rate. Long-term pain relief is not examined in this study. METHODS Two separate prospective databases (one belonging to a neur...

OBJECTIVE To determine the long-term follow-up of the various operations for lumbar disc herniation in a large patient population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Patients who had operations for lumbar disc herniation (microdiscectomy, endoscopic microdiscectomy and the 'classical operation', i.e. laminectomy/laminotomy with discectomy) were collected from the world literature. Patients who had follow-u...

see whether we could carry out disc operations as day cases, something which no-one previously had even contemplated, let alone carried out. We in Frenchay had introduced the operation of microdiscectomy in 1979, and this rapidly replaced the older way of doing disc operations without a microscope. The impulse for day case surgery came from our experiences with operating on doctors. The 4 cm in...

One of the causes thoracalgia is a protrusion thoracic intervertebral discs (IVD). Treatment these protrusions often ineffective. Objective: To improve outcomes treatment caused by IVD, using method puncture laser microdiscectomy (PLM). Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis 64 patients with at "Endoscopic Neurosurgery" Medical Center in period from 2000 to 2023 was carried out. The ra...

Before the advent of minimally invasive surgery for microdiscectomy, an open microdiscectomy had been the standard surgical intervention. Minimally invasive techniques have recently become more popular based upon the premise that smaller, less traumatic incisions should afford better recovery times and outcomes. From 2005 to 2008 we analyzed the outcomes of 25 patients who received an open micr...

STUDY DESIGN  Retrospective review. INTRODUCTION  Lumbar radiculopathy and claudicant leg pain are common degenerative spinal conditions often treated by elective microdiscectomy or decompression. Published outcome data for these procedures have focused on improvement in pain scores, and not on grounded functional outcome or depression scores.1,2,3 Moreover, depression is considered by many s...

BACKGROUND Lumbar microdiscectomy and laminectomy are two of the most common neurosurgical procedures performed worldwide. Current practice still sees pre-operative group and save testing prior to this surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the need for pre-operative group and save and post-operative blood checks. METHODS Patient archives were reviewed to identify those undergoing pr...