Giant central lumbar disc herniations: a case for the transdural approach

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Spinal Surgery

Background:

• Giant central lumbar disc protrusions are challenging surgical cases.
• Patients face risks of permanent disability from neural compromise and iatrogenic injury during standard extradural microdiscectomy.

Observation:

• This report details the first successful transdural microdiscectomy for a giant central L3/4 disc protrusion.
• Previous lumbar spine applications of this technique were limited to levels above L2/3.

Findings:

• The transdural microdiscectomy approach demonstrated encouraging results for treating a giant central L3/4 disc protrusion.
• Comparison with existing literature highlights the novelty of this approach at the L3/4 level.

Implications:

• The transdural microdiscectomy technique may offer a viable alternative for managing challenging giant central lumbar disc protrusions.
• Further investigation into this rarely used surgical approach is warranted to explore its full potential and safety profile.