title: Automated percutaneous discectomy in herniated lumbar discs treatment: experience after the first 200 cases.
abstract: Two hundred patients presenting lumbo-sacral radicular pain were treated with automated percutaneous discectomy and were divided into two groups, on the ground of their symptomatology: group A included those patients that, otherwise, would undergo conservative therapy, because of their moderate pain; group B gathered patients whose severe pain needed undelayed surgery. The success rate that we reported in group A was 85%, while, in group B, it was 64%. Recurrences needing open surgery occurred in 15% of group B. Although characterized by delayed recovery, this technique seems to have good results even in so called surgical patients, in comparison with open surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, San Filippo Neri Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fiume
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parziale
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sherkat
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001331:Automation; D017587:Diskectomy, Percutaneous / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000601:surgery*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged