Functional outcome of back pain after percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy and annuloplasty for lumbar disc herniation: A prospective study

Abstract

Objective: Percutaneous Transforaminal endoscopic lumbar discectomy and annuloplasty (PELDA) is a minimally invasive spinal technique for lumbar disc herniation. Following discectomy, the relief of leg pain is common; however, the relief of back pain is less predictable. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in back pain and to examine the predisposing factors for postoperative back pain following PELDA. Material and Method: In this prospective study, 104 patients with leg and back pain associated with disc herniation underwent PELDA. The patients were divided into two groups: unfavorable and favorable. Patients were defined as having unfavorable outcomes if the percentage improvement of back pain 20% at postoperative 12 months. The preoperative demo-graphic, clinical, and radiologic factors for each group were statistically analyzed. Results: 104 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean visual analog scale scores for back pain and the ODI scores significantly improved from 6.6 and 55.9% preoperatively to 2.5 and 12.7% at the 12 month follow-up. The surgical satisfaction rate was 78.4% at the final follow-up. Eighteen (34.6%) patients had unfavorable outcomes. Patients with advanced disc degeneration of operative levels had significantly worse outcomes than those with mild disc degeneration (odds ratio: 6.316, 95% confidence interval 1.25–31.86, P