Sciatica management: chemonucleolysis vs. surgical discectomy.
True sciatica, and the back pain associated with it, are symptoms stemming from a common anatomical lumbar distortion--compression of a spinal nerve root. Two therapeutic approaches have evolved: surgical laminectomy and discectomy for relief of compression of a lumbar nerve root; and chemonucleolysis, a tissue modification technique using the intradiscal injection of the proteolytic enzyme chymopapain. Chemonucleolysis has been demonstrated to have a successful outcome at the 75% level in 6 weeks and at the 80% level in 6 months. Lumbar microdiscectomy appears to be 85% effective at 3 months.
LeBlanc
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D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000601:surgery*; D007404:Intervertebral Disc Chemolysis / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000451:nursing*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012585:Sciatica / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*