Chemonucleolysis in the treatment of prolapsed intervertebral disc. Early results

The results of chemonucleolysis in 48 patients with protrusion of the annulus fibrosus or lumbar disc hernia treated over a period of two years are reported. The nucleolysis was performed under local anaesthesia at a single level in all cases, after the pathological state of the disc and nerve roots had been demonstrated by radiography. Satisfactory results, comparable with those following surgical treatment, were obtained in nearly all the patients with small disc herniae and in three-quarters of the patients with herniae of moderate dimensions. The pre-operative neurological defects showed regression in nearly all cases. The only complication was an infection of the disc in one case.