[Debatable questions concerning the surgery of lumbar osteochondrosis]

Three tendencies exist at present in the surgical management of lumbar osteochondrosis: orthopedic treatment aimed at stabilizing the vertebral segment (the procedure of choice being anterior total disectomy with vertebral intercorporal spondilodesis), neurosurgical treatment striving to decompress the nervous structures clinched by the disc, osteal growth, scars, and a combined management achieving both of the above purposes. Proceeding from an analysis of two thousand operations performed within 20 years the author concludes that each of the mentioned methods has its merits and indications depending on the stage of osteochondrosis. The neurosurgical procedures appear to be most often used.