Postoperative computed tomography three months after lumbar disc surgery. A prospective single-blind study.
In a prospective single-blind study, 60 patients surgically treated for lumbar disc herniation underwent clinical examination and computed tomography preoperatively and 3 months after surgery. At follow-up (58 patients; median, 31 months; range, 21-37 months), 29 patients had an excellent outcome (51%), 20 improved (33%), and 9 were unchanged or worse (16%). Dural or radicular scar tissue was present by computed tomography in 88% of the patients, but the findings could not be correlated with the clinical outcome. Recurrent or persistent disc herniation was found in 9% of the patients. The clinical outcome of patients with abnormal computed tomography did not differ significantly from patients without this finding. A relation between facet joint degeneration and less successful clinical outcome was demonstrated. Computed tomography (without contrast) 3 months after surgery gave little information which could be correlated with the clinical outcome. Patients with an excellent outcome had all degrees of intraspinal scar tissue.
Jensen
T T
TT
Section for Orthopaedic Surgery, Soenderborg Hospital, Denmark.
Overgaard
S
S
Thomsen
N O
NO
Kramp
S
S
Petersen
O F
OF
Hansen
J H
JH
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed