Introduction of a new technique for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation.

Lumbar disc herniation is a common and frequent disease in clinical spine surgery and can be clearly diagnosed after clinical examination and imaging by a spine surgeon. There are many ways to treat lumbar disc herniation, and it is confusing for many patients with lumbar disc herniation to know which treatment they should receive. After the diagnosis of lumbar disc herniation is determined, the first thing that should be done is systematic conservative treatment: bed rest, medication, physical therapy, and lumbar back muscle exercise. If the above systematic conservative treatment is ineffective surgery should be considered. Many patients, because they are suffering from the disease for the first time, inevitably have fear of traditional surgical treatment, and can first undergo minimally invasive treatment when they are hesitant to undergo traditional surgical treatment. The following is an introduction to the new international technology for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation–minimally invasive low-temperature plasma radiofrequency ablation. After the patient lies prone on the operating table, disinfection and towel laying, after local anesthesia with 1% lidocaine, under the guidance of C-arm X-ray fluoroscopy, a 1mm diameter puncture needle is inserted into the lesioned intervertebral disc at the lateral posterior of the lumbar back, and after the position of the puncture needle is accurate, the needle core is withdrawn and the radiofrequency ablation needle is inserted through the hollow needle to enter the intervertebral disc for ablation, and after the ablation is completed, the puncture needle is withdrawn and the operation is finished. The principle of low-temperature plasma radiofrequency ablation: through the plasma knife, the radiofrequency energy acts inside the intervertebral disc, vaporizing and ablating part of the disc nucleus pulposus tissue, and then using precise thermal wrinkling technology to heat up the nucleus pulposus tissue contacted by the knife head to about 70 degrees, so that the volume of the nucleus pulposus shrinks and reduces the pressure inside the disc, thus relieving the pressure of the herniated disc on the nerve root and achieving the purpose of treatment. The advantages of minimally invasive low-temperature plasma radiofrequency ablation: 1, high safety: plasma working temperature at 40-70 degrees, low-temperature safety, no incision, small trauma, maximum protection of the wall of the annulus fibrosus, without destroying the normal disc tissue; no damage to the bony structure during the operation, and little impact on the stability of the spine. 2, small trauma, almost no bleeding during surgery, only 1mm pinhole scars on the local skin, does not affect the aesthetics, fast recovery, 2-3 days after surgery can be discharged from the hospital under the bottom activities. Figure 1 Under C-arm X-ray fluoroscopic surveillance, the puncture needle enters the intervertebral disc Figure 2 Under C-arm X-ray fluoroscopic surveillance, the puncture needle enters the intervertebral disc Figure 3 After removing the needle core, the RF ablation needle is inserted through the hollow needle Figure 4 After removing the needle core, the RF ablation needle is inserted through the hollow needle Figure 5 The RF ablation is being performed Figure 6 After the operation, the needle hole is covered with cotton balls; and the puncture needle for performing the operation Figure 7 The RF needle for performing the operation