Clinical symptoms in lumbar disc herniations and their correlation to the histological composition of the extruded disc material.
METHODS
Fifty-five consecutive patients undergoing microdiskectomy due to lumbar disc herniation were included in this clinical study over 12 months.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate possible correlations between the histologic composition of the herniated disc fragments and pain, disability, clinical signs, and operative findings.


BACKGROUND
Previous studies have investigated the histologic composition of herniated lumbar disc fragments. Few publications, however, examined correlations with clinical data.


METHODS
Before treatment, patients were examined using a standardized clinical protocol; subjective disability and pain were assessed by the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. The herniated disc fragments were examined semiquantitatively for the relative percentages of nucleus pulposus, anulus fibrosus, and cartilaginous endplate.


RESULTS
In patients less than 30 years of age, significantly higher percentages of nucleus pulposus were found than in the older group, whereas anulus fibrosus was found in significantly higher percentages in patients > or =30 years. Both higher percentages of cartilage and nucleus pulposus correlated with increased pain intensity values from the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Impaired reflexes before treatment occurred significantly more often in patients with > or =20% of cartilage in the herniated fragments. If nucleus pulposus was <30%, sensory impairment tended to be more severe before treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The histologic composition of the herniated disc fragments seems to affect pain and clinical symptoms.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
Roland E
RE
Willburger
Ulrike K
UK
Ehiosun
Cornelius
C
Kuhnen
Jürgen
J
Krämer
Gebhard
G
Schmid
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D017586:Diskectomy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000473:pathology*; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires