title: [Transforaminal endoscopic microdiscectomy. Indications and short-term to intermediate-term results].
abstract: 101 patients with lumbar disc herniation were treated by transforaminal endoscopic microdiscectomy between 5/94 and 6/97. Caused by technical problems the procedure could not be successfully completed in 3 patients. They must be excluded from the presented study as 9 others, who were lost for follow up. So 89 patients were followed with a median follow-up time of 28 months (15-56 months). 69 patients (78%) were satisfied. 16 patients needed a second operation. In 11 of these 16 patients it was done by an open procedure, in 5 by transforaminal endoscopic microdiscectomy again. 4 of these 5 patients showed a good or satisfying result. As in open procedures the most important prognostic factor is a promptly disappearing radicular leg pain. Only 6 of 61 patients with a radicular leg pain disappearing within one week were reoperated, but 10 of 28, who showed a leg pain persisting longer than one week postoperatively.
authors.affiliation: Orthopädische Abteilung, Universitätskliniken Freiburg.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haag
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017587:Diskectomy, Percutaneous / Q000295:instrumentation*; D019723:Endoscopes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D012086:Reoperation; D013525:Surgical Instruments