Thoracic disc herniation. Treatment and prognosis.

Thoracic disc herniation is difficult to recognize. Diagnosis is easily made when the patient has a paraparesis, but at this point the disc herniation is usually large, and the result of the disc removal is less certain. Most of the 7 patients discussed had an early diagnosis made. Six patients were treated by the transthoracic anterolateral approach, and improvement occurred in all.