Microendoscopic discectomy for recurrent lumbar disc herniation*

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to elucidate the feasibility of microendoscopic discectomy (MED) for the treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniation. Methods: Thirty-six patients with recurrent lumbar disc herniation were treated using MED (30 men and six women; mean age: 45.7 years, range: 26–80 years; mean follow-up: 24.4 months, range: 12–52 months; mean duration between the primary and revision surgery: 65.9 months, range: 1–320 months) (recurrent group). Sex- and age-matched patients with primary lumbar disc herniation treated by MED served as the control group (primary group). The clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score for low back pain and questionnaires regarding MED. Results: The average Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores before surgery and at the final follow-up were significantly lower in the recurrent group than in the primary group (10.8 ± 3.4 versus 15.0 ± 4.0 before surgery, P=0.001 and 25.4 ± 2.6 versus 26.8 ± 1.9 at follow-up, P=0.013), while the average recovery rates were not significantly different between the two groups (80.3 ± 14.1% versus 84.5 ± 14.6, P=0.22). The surgical time was significantly longer for the recurrent group than for the primary group (83.0 ± 41.8 min versus 67.1 ± 18.1 min,P=0.042). Of the 18 questionnaire respondents, 17 answered that postoperative pain was milder after MED than after a standard discectomy. Conclusion: MED is a feasible surgical option for recurrent lumbar disc herniation, yielding surgical outcomes comparable to those obtained in primary lumbar disc herniation.