[Microsurgical and endoscopic laser diskectomy in osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine]

Experimental studies have revealed that a pulse surgical laser based on alumo-yttrium garnet with neodymium ensures bloodless diskectomy and evaporation of a pulposus nucleus in the volume sufficient for decompression of the intervertebral disk. Biomechanical studies of spinal resistance following puncture endoscopic laser decompression of the intervertebral disk (PELDID) and microsurgical laser diskectomy (MLD) have demonstrated that these surgical interventions fail to disturb the stability of the spinal portion operated on. A total of 75 patients with radicular syndrome were operated on with the proposed procedures: 32 with PELDID and 43 with MLD. The subsequent studies have shown that 69 (92%) patients returned to previous work at week 7 and 5 (6.7%) at week 9 of postoperation. The major manifestation of radicular syndrome--leg pain--was eliminated in 100% after MLD and in 96.9% after PELDID.