title: [Surgical treatment for lumbar discogenic low back pain].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the curative effect of surgical treatment for lumbar discogenic low back pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two patients with lumbar discogenic low back pain were treated with disc excision and lumbar interbody fusion: 12 of them were treated with posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF), 30 with afront lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF). The clinical results were evaluated by pre- and post-operative visual analogue scale (VAS), and the fusion rates of the lumbosacral spine were evaluated by X-ray.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average follow-up period was 18 months, ranging from 6 to 36 months. Low back pain basically disappeared in 11 patients treated with PLIF, with mild back pain in one patient; VAS after the operation decreased significantly in comparison with that preoperatively (P<0.01). Low back pain basically disappeared in 28 patients treated with ALIF; VAS after the operation decreased significantly in comparison with that preoperatively (P<0.01). The fusion rate was 90% in patients treated with PLIF, and 93% in patients with ALIF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Disc excision and interbody fusion is effective in the treatment of lumbar discogenic low back pain, but the operation indications should be paid attention to.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China. wqlwqwxy@163.com
authors.forename: Xi-yang
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhao-hui
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Jian-zhong
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Kang-hua
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hong-qi
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000601:surgery*; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome