The surgical treatment of cervical disc herniation

The authors reviewed 61 cases of cervico-brachialgia due to posterolateral disc herniation treated at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute between 1975 and 1985. Results were positive in 69.3% of the cases, partially negative or negative in 30.7%. An analysis of the results reveals a high correspondence between clinical diagnosis and surgical findings (82%): but the percentage of error in clinical diagnosis (18%) cannot be overlooked. For this reason the clinical diagnosis must be confirmed by CT and/or MRI. In our experience, the posterior approach has proven to be suited to resolving most cervico-brachial pain syndromes due to posterolateral disc herniation.