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Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Transtubular Endoscopic Posterolateral Decompression for L5-S1 Lumbar Lateral Disc Herniation
Published on: October 14, 2022
Is that lumbar disc symptomatic? Herniated lumbar disc associated with contralateral radiculopathy
Muhammad Fahmi Abdul Jalil1, Miu Fei Lam, Yi Yuen Wang
1Department of Neurosurgery, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia.
Abstract:
Herniated lumbar disc may be asymptomatic or associated with lower limb radiculopathy. Most spinal surgeons would offer surgery following a period of conservative measures if the radiological and clinical findings correlate. However, the existing dictum that lumbar radiculopathy should correlate with ipsilateral lumbar disc herniation may not be accurate as it can rarely present with contralateral sciatica. Literature regarding this phenomenon is scarce. Therefore, we report a patient with herniated lumbar disc presenting with predominantly contralateral motor weakness radiculopathy, which resolved after discectomy.
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