Long-term follow-up results of surgically treated patients with foraminal and far lateral disc herniations

Foraminal and far lateral disc herniations are rarer cause of nerve root compression. There are reports regarding the outcome, however long-term follow-up results of surgically treated patients are few. The purpose of this retrospective study is to analyze the clinical characteristics and long-term surgical outcomes of the foraminal and far lateral disc herniations.

The 114 patients who underwent an operation for foraminal and far lateral disc herniaitions were reviewed. Visual analogue scale of back and leg pain, the ocurrence of motor deficit and sensory dysesthesia before and after operations were used to compare the results of early and long-term outcome.

A total of 114 telephone interviews were conducted. The mean follow up was 134 months. Complete relief of symptoms were reported by 77 patients (67.1%). The average VAS of radicular leg pain was 7.5 Post-operatively the average VAS of radicular pain decreased to 2.2. Preoperatively, 9 patients (7.6%) had motor deficit and 17 (14.4%) patients had sensory dysesthesia. Post-operatively 9 (100%) of the patients showed motor, and 12 (70.6%) of the patients showed sensory improvement. In 17 patients with hypoesthesia the complaints continued during 2 weeks to 6 months. They were given gabapentin as medical treatment, however 5 of these patients still have sensory dysesthesia. The outcome was: 67.1% excellent (77 patients), 26.3% good (30 patients), 6.1% fair (7 patients).

The far lateral approach is a minimally invasive and safe procedure with low complication rates.