title: Long-term results of microlumbar discectomy.
abstract: A long-term prospective study was carried out of 100 consecutive patients undergoing microlumbar discectomy (MLD) and fulfilling stringent selection criteria. A 95% long-term follow-up result was obtained at a mean duration of 8.6 years. At the 7-11-year assessment, 88% of patients had an excellent result, 5% a good result and 7% had either a poor result or new symptoms. Ten patients (10.5%) underwent repeat MLD during the course of the study; nine of the ten reoperations were performed at the same level as the original surgery. The percentage with an excellent result remained relatively constant (88-89%) throughout the study. No reliable predictors of long-term outcome were identified. The results suggest that microlumbar discectomy compares favourably with other surgical techniques with regard to long-term outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Atkinson Morley's Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Chilton
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Uttley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017586:Diskectomy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000601:surgery*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D012008:Recurrence; D012086:Reoperation; D012585:Sciatica / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome