Early experience with percutaneous lateral discectomy.

Seventeen patients were treated by percutaneous lumbar discectomy for a herniated disc and sciatica. The criteria for inclusion in this series included: (1) a protruding disc in the lumbar area causing neural compression; (2) persistent sciatica; (3) failure of conservative treatment; (4) magnetic resonance imaging, computer tomographic, or myelographic confirmation of the protrusion; and (5) chronic low-back pain with definite evidence of a protruding disc at the appropriate level. The only contraindication to the procedure is the presence of an extruded fragment. There were ten male and seven female patients, with an average age of 40 years. The operation was performed under local anesthesia and by the method of Hijikata. Six cases were at L5-S1, nine at L4-L5, four at L3-L4, and one at L2-L3. Fourteen of 16 patients were relieved of their symptoms. One operation was aborted due to the inability to pass the cannula beneath arthritic facet joints. One complication occurred early while using general anesthetic. An L5 nerve root was injured, causing a permanent drop foot. Major possible complications include infection, nerve root injury, and vascular injury. The success rate with an average follow-up period of six and one-half months was 87.5%.