[Percutaneous lumber nucleoplasty]

Low-back pain is one of the most common causes for seeking professional medical assistance and the most frequent cause of absence from work. It is not rare that the intervertebral discs are the etiological factor. Degenerated discs with internal disruptions may cause axial back pain whereas protrusion or herniation of a disc may result in radicular pain. Open surgical procedures targeting the intervertebral discs are carried out frequently for years. But especially because of its lack of superiority over the conventional therapies in the long-term and the risk of development of failed back surgery syndrome, the investigators are forced to develop minimally invasive techniques of disc decompression. In the last two decades, better understanding of the spinal anatomy, function and pain generating mechanisms along with the technological achievements, has accelerated the development of many modalities for the treatment of low back pain. Chemonucleolysis, automated percutaneous lumbar discectomy (APLD), intradiscal laser discectomy, intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) and most recently percutaneous nucleoplasty are the minimally invasive techniques developed for this aim. Percutaneous nucleoplasty is a minimally invasive technique which uses radiofrequency energy to ablate the nucleus pulposus in a controlled manner for disc decompression. The current data about this new technique is insufficient yet, but the preliminary reports indicate that the technique is relatively safe and the outcomes are encouraging.