[Chemonucleolysis in the treatment of lumbar discopathy]

The authors describe the method of non-operative treatment of widely occurring low back pain syndromes diagnosed as due to isolated degeneration of the nucleus pulposus. In this phase of degenerative spinal disease pain is not due to nucleus pulposus prolapse. The patients are dissatisfied with the results of physiotherapy and rehabilitation, and surgical treatment brings no satisfactory results. The method of dissolving of nucleus pulposus, widely used in the USA, Australia and West European countries, has been used in Poland only in the clinical centre of the authors. The clinical experience gathered during these years made possible delineation of the syndrome of isolated nucleus pulposus degeneration and strict qualification for chemonucleolysis which gives success in about 90% of cases.