[Problems of recurrence and reoperation in discogenic lumboischiadic syndromes. 2]

In a group of 79 patients (29 women and 50 men) reoperated at the Neurosurgical Clinic of the Faculty Hospital with Policlinic in Kosice between Feb. 1 1982 and Dec. 31, 1989 for substantiated suspicion of a true relapse of discogenic lumboischiadic syndrome it was revealed that neither perimyelography nor CT examination of the spine disclosed reliably the conditions in the spinal canal. The assumed disc compression of spinal roots was confirmed by the surgeon on reoperation only in 58.2% of the patients. Complications were encountered on reoperation in 26.6% patients of the group whereby in the majority an injury of the dura mater fixed by an epidural scar was involved. The results of reoperations were worse than the results of primary operations. Improvement can be expected from a better differential diagnosis of complaints after disc operations and from improvement of the surgical technique which will reduce the risk of preoperative complications, e.g. by using the microsurgical technique.