Minimally invasive treatment of lumbar disc herniation

Lumbar disc herniation and disc degeneration is a common disease in spine surgery, with an incidence of more than 40%. Due to the compression of nerve roots and hard modes after disc herniation, clinical symptoms such as low back pain, unilateral or bilateral lower limb radiating pain and numbness will occur. If combined with spinal stenosis, patients often have symptoms of intermittent claudication, i.e. walking about 100 meters and feeling heavy, weak and numb in the lower limbs. Most patients will get better after bed rest and physical therapy, but it tends to recur and get worse because the herniated disc is still present and continues to irritate and compress the nerve roots and the sclerotomes. Surgical removal of the herniated disc is the only option to release the nerve compression and completely eliminate the clinical symptoms. Our department has been using minimally invasive techniques to treat lumbar disc disease for many years, with a clinical efficiency of over 90% and long-term follow-up patient satisfaction close to 100%. At present, the main techniques used are: radiofrequency ablation of intervertebral disc, minimally invasive discectomy under the pipeline, and percutaneous fixed intervertebral fusion. For patients with small disc herniation, relatively mild clinical symptoms, or low back pain caused by disc degeneration, radiofrequency ablation technology can be used for treatment. The radiofrequency ablation puncture needle is only 1mm in diameter, and the percutaneous puncture reaches the diseased intervertebral disc and performs physical therapy intervention, thus achieving the treatment purpose. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia and is minimally invasive, with immediate postoperative self-care and discharge the next day. For larger herniated discs, minimally invasive subductal disc nucleus pulposus removal is used. The surgical incision is only 1.5 to 1.8 cm, and the muscles do not need to be separated, so there is very little surgical bleeding, and the recovery is quick. For patients with spinal stenosis, percutaneous pedicle nail fixation and fusion can be performed at the same time. Minimally invasive disc nucleus pulposus removal under the canal is a treatment for lumbar disc herniation with little trauma, precise efficacy and low recurrence rate, which is a common treatment method in advanced countries such as Europe and America. The Department of Orthopedics of Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital has close ties with many famous spine surgery centers in Europe and the United States, and is constantly exploring new ways to serve patients with the most advanced and scientific treatment methods.