title: Outcome analysis of patients after ligament-sparing microdiscectomy for lumbar disc herniation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors describe a microsurgical technique for the preservation of the ligamentum flavum and the longterm surgery-related results, including an independent assessment of outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred seventy-seven patients underwent ligament-sparing microsurgical discectomy for a previously untreated single-level lumbar disc herniation and were followed for more than 2 years. A successful outcome at 6 months was demonstrated in 93.9% of the patients. At a median follow-up period of 30 months, successful patient-assessed outcome was 84.1%. During the mean follow-up period of 4.2 years (range 2-6.5 years), recurrent disc herniation was detected in 18 patients (4.8%). These patients all underwent repeated surgery. The overall surgery-related rate of complications was 1.3%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The authors conclude that ligament-sparing microdiscectomy is a safe procedure, with a favorable success rate and minimal morbidity. Reoperation is safer and easier when using this technique compared with traditional ones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. ykapa@kumc.or.kr
authors.forename: Youn-Kwan
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Joo-Han
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Heung-Seob
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D017586:Diskectomy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017843:Ligamentum Flavum / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods*; D012008:Recurrence; D012086:Reoperation / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome