[Clinical evaluation on patients with lumbar intervertebral disc hernia treated in our clinic (author's transl)]

A few reports are available on the results of conservative therapy of lumbar intervertebral disc hernia. In our Department, conservative therapy of 3 month course is carried out under a determined guideline. The cure rate obtained from this conservative therapy is 83.1% so far as the results reviewed by us concern. In order to determine the indication of nucleous pulposus resection, the remote results have been traced on patients in whom the myelography, which had been performed for the purpose of operation, gave positive findings but operation was not carried out. It was found that in all cases ADL and employment were disturbed. In the group of patients, where resection of nuclear pulposus were carried out by the same surgeon by osteoplastic partial leminectomy, the results were found to be excellent in 72.1% and good in 21.2% of all cases. When excellent and good results are combined, the positive effects have been obtained in as many as 93.3%, indicating an extremely favourable results. In 6.7% of the cases, ADL and employment were restricted, with persistent complaints and clinical symptoms. In none of the cases aggravation through operation was noted. As described above, in patients with lumbar intervertebral disc hernia, better results of operation can be expected if resections of nucleus pulposus are carried out only on patients selected strictly after a careful conservative therapy, with a broad field through osteoplastic partial laminectomy by a skilled surgeon, minimizing the difference in technique.