[Lumbar intervertebral disk prolapse in adolescence. I. Clinical observations]

Twenty-five cases of intervertebral disc herniation in young people between 15 and 25 years old are reported. They have been operated in the Neurosurgical Clinic of Basle between July 1978 and July 1982. The clinical and radiological findings, the operative procedure and the results are described. The postoperative courses were generally more complicated in the young than in a comparative group of elder patients. The importance of strict, restrictive indications for this operation is pointed out.