title: Postoperative computed tomography three months after lumbar disc surgery. A prospective single-blind study.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Section for Orthopaedic Surgery, Soenderborg Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Overgaard
authors.forename: N O
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kramp
authors.forename: O F
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: 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