[Percutaneous nucleotomy in the current treatment concept of lumbar ischialgia]

As a minimal invasive alternative to open disc surgery percutaneous nucleotomy has remarkably development for the treatment of contained lumbar herniation. In our experience since 1979, today available percutaneous concepts have to be clearly individualized in their range of indication following their specific technical limits. So a direct correlation of operative results remain restricted on overlapping ranges of indications. Progress in the technical field, in correlation with discoscopy, introduced since 1982, brought percutaneous interbody fusion in 1988, alloplastic percutaneous implants are in development. This facts let us foresee a remarkable evolution of percutaneous spine surgery comparable to arthroscopic knee surgery in the near future.